Found Out
by Bella Danvers
Summary: Kate leaves Pogue because of The Power and he turns to an old friend helps take away the sting of loneliness. They fall in love, but what happens when Chase returns and threatens everything Pogue holds dear? Pogue/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Found Out**

_Nothing belongs to me except the plot_

This story is going to be dedicated to my best friend, Corrie, as my birthday gift to her. Honey Buns, I hope you like it!

* * *

Pogue was the panty master. How many times had he, Tyler, and Reid bet on underwear only to have Pogue walk away 40 bucks richer? 

More times than Caleb could count.

Pogue always won. It was second nature to him.

But today…

Today, something was off.

Today, Tyler won.

Tyler _never_ wins.

And Pogue lost.

It was unheard of. Especially now that Pogue had ascended. Just last week he had turned 18 and received the power.

Sure, he wasn't as powerful as Caleb is or as Chase had been, having not received his old man's powers in addition to his own, but he still could hold his own. He still had his self control but he was stronger, smarter, _better_ in all ways possible. He was the new and improved Pogue, and he was invincible.

But there is an exception to everything. There is one thing Pogue had no control over. One thing that he cares about over all others, except maybe his brothers. One thing he has worked hard to maintain and keep normal in his life. And one thing that can hurt him even more than he thought possible.

Kate.

The reason he's off his game today.

The reason he's miserable.

And the reason he's no longer dating.

Because today, Kate found out.

Today, Kate left him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girl

This story in general is still dedicated to my best friend, Corrie, as my birthday gift to her. Even though her birthday was in June. (We have issues with giving presents on time. Example: for her birthday this year, I actually ended up giving her the Christmas present I bought for her last year. No joke!)

Anyways, sorry for the delay, but I needed to be sure I wanted it to be more than a one-shot. I wrote this in June and have been going back and forth between wanting to post it or to just keep it to myself and let chapter 1 stand alone. I obviously came to a decision (hopefully you like the outcome!) and Audrey Woods beta-ed it for me. Thanks for the fantastic editing! This chappie is dedicated to you!

**Chapter 2**

"Pogue, what the hell?" Reid finally asked. "You've lost 3 games today. To _Aaron Abbot_. What the fuck is up with you?" He asked angrily, slamming his stick down on the pool table in Nicky's. Pogue barely glanced up, instead concentrating on his next shot, which missed the striped ball by a mile but sunk the white one into the corner pocket.

"Yeah, man. What's up?" Tyler asked quietly.

"Nothing. I'll tell you later." Pogue muttered and left the table, ignoring the groans from Tyler and Reid and the cocky jeering that came from Aaron Abbot and his lackeys - with Pogue's shot, they had just been guaranteed their fourth win of the night.

He made his way over to the bar and asked for a Coke, not realizing he had accidentally placed himself within a few inches of Miss Black Lace Panties who had cost him 20 bucks only seconds earlier. He only noticed her when he overheard her and her friend's whispered conversation.

"You don't think He saw anything, do you?" The girl asked, adjusting her skirt and blushing.

"Hun, don't worry about it. What harm could come of it? Hell, maybe the perfect Pogue Parry will finally leave Kate and come back to you now that he noticed your panties staring him in his perfectly proportioned, Greek god-like, carved-by-angels –" The friend broke off, noticing Pogue staring at her around panty girl, a blank look on his face. "Umm, I have to pee." She said quickly and made a bee line for the ladies room.

Pogue squinted after her, trying to place her. He had some class with her… English? Yeah, maybe English… He'd have to ask Caleb. But what the hell was she talking about him coming _back_ to panty girl? She didn't even know him, and he sure as hell didn't know her.

"Pees like she's freakin' pregnant…" The girl complained quietly to her drink, annoyed.

"Pogue, here's your Coke. Not with Katie tonight?" Nicky asked as he handed over the soda. The girl froze as she heard the names and shrunk down onto a bar stool, blushing furiously and looking embarrassed.

"Yeah, uh, Kate and I are kinda having some…issues." He said vaguely, watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. Did he know her? She had a hand covering half of her face, looking the other way and sipping what looked like Coke. But the hand was oddly familiar. Pretty. It had a ring on the pinky and a faded friendship bracelet on the wrist. The nails were painted with a flaking black polish, like she'd done them weeks ago and just hadn't had time to remove it.

"Hey, um… Do I know you?" He asked, curious about the girl. Since it was the first emotion he'd felt since Kate had rejected him, he grabbed onto it, desperate for the distraction.

She glanced over at him and blushed even more.

"Um, yeah. We had Art 1 together freshman year. You… you drew my hands." She muttered so quietly he could barely hear her in the crowded bar. But he remembered her now. Her and the picture he'd given her. He had to admit, it was his best work to date. He'd done her hands in plain charcoal but somehow he'd managed to convey the joy the girl had, her bubbly attitude and huge smile that greeted him every day as he walked in and sat at her table with her, Tyler, and her friend. Pogue and the girl had never dated, but they were close enough for her to be receiving glares from ¾ of the female population at Spenser. Tyler and the guys had teased Pogue about her all throughout first semester but the second one had come and gone they hadn't had any classes together, eventually drifting apart. By the time finals rolled around, he'd met Kate and forgotten all about art and the girl.

"Yeah. I remember now. Your name's…Courtney?" He asked hesitantly.

"Corrie." She glanced up at him, still blushing. "Close, though. I'm impressed." A familiar grin flitted across her face and Pogue was surprised to feel his mouth respond, however pathetic his return smile might have been.

"So am I. So, how've you been? Still taking art?" He asked, sinking into the bar stool next to her, curiosity peaked, Kate and their 'issues' temporarily pushed from his mind as she smirked back at him.

"Yeah. I'm in Independent Study now, so I pretty much teach myself. It's pretty cool, though. What about you? Still awing people with body parts?" Pogue looked at her with a raised eyebrow, watched her brain catch up with her mouth. There was the blush again, coloring her pale cheeks. He liked the effect. It reminded him how close they'd been. "I mean, like hands. Drawings of hands! Not like…other body parts."

"Not really. I kinda quit after Art 1."

"Oh! Why? You had so much talent!" She seemed honestly distressed by the thought that he'd quit drawing.

"I didn't have time for it anymore. I got…busy." Which they both took to mean 'I started dating Kate.' The thought of Kate, who, in the last few minutes had been temporarily pushed to the dark corners his mind, blackened Pogue's mood. It further darkened when the friend, done hiding in the bathroom, started frantically waving Corrie over to the door, no doubt to ask what she and Pogue Parry, Son of Ipswich, Swim Team Co-Captain, and hottie extraordinaire, had talked about. Corrie rolled her eyes but got up, giving Pogue one last smile before following her friend out into the rainy Ipswich night. Pogue glared at her half-finished Coke as Nicky dumped it and began cleaning her glass.

"Corrie." He muttered as he turned, his own Coke in hand, intent on grabbing his jacket and leaving to go home and draw. For some reason, talking to Corrie had reminded him of how good he was at it.

As he made his way back to the table, Caleb and Sarah drifted off the dance floor toward him.

"Hey Pogue, where's Kate? I thought she said she was going to meet us here an hour ago…" Sarah asked, glancing worriedly around the bar for her missing friend.

"I, uh, wouldn't count on seeing Kate here anymore." Pogue muttered, taking a sip of his Coke and not looking at the happy couple. He just wanted to get home.

"Why not?" Sarah's voice was puzzled and worried at the same time. Pogue glanced up to see Caleb's eyes narrow in worry. His eyes dropped down to Sarah's fearful face before he returned to staring at the Coke in his hand. Her reaction… the fear in her eyes as he'd blurted out the truth, as he showed her his power… She didn't see him as having a lot of talent. She saw him as evil. But he loved her, even if she was scared of him right now…

"Ask her. She's your friend still, I think."

"Pogue, you're scaring me. What happened to Kate?"

"She's with the Provost filling out transfer forms." Pogue mumbled as he stood up, leaving the bar.

"Kate's transferring? As in leaving Spenser?" At Pogue's wince her eyes widened in shock. "As in leaving _Ipswich_? Wh-" Sarah started but cut herself off as realization dawned in her azure eyes. "She knows."

Her eyes met with Caleb's, both filled with sympathy for Pogue, who was still staring intently into his Coke.

"I'm going to go talk with her. I'll try to explain it. I'll try to…" She started as she stood, intent on finding her roommate. Caleb rose as well, beckoning to the other Sons that it was time to go. Reid ignored him and Tyler gave a nod but didn't move from the pool table. With a sigh, Caleb followed Sarah out to his Mustang, watching Pogue climb onto his bike in the rain.

"Pogue? Should you really be driving right now? Rain, motorcycle…you see where I'm going with this?" He asked carefully, always the worried one.

"Caleb, I'm fine. Besides, my house isn't _that_ far away." He rolled his eyes and started up the bike, peeling out of the wet gravel parking lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls

Okay, this is the girlie chapter. Hopefully you all like it more than I do ('Cause I don't). Corrie liked it well enough...although she feels she is more likely to have a conversation in her sleep than to moan, just FYI (this statement will make sense by the end).

* * *

"Kate?" Sarah called into their bathroom as she shut the dorm door behind her, worried eyes taking in packed boxes but no roommate. 

Following the faint sniffles that were her only response, Sarah tiptoed into the bathroom delicately to see a distraught Kate slumped against the toilet, tears streaming down her face. She immediately sunk down and gathered her friend up in her arms in a comforting way, murmuring reassurances softly into the girl's raven hair.

"Did-did you know?" Kate asked once her tears had subsided some, staring up into the blonde's face, eyes pleading for a no.

"I found out when you were in the hospital." Sarah admitted softly, eyes never leaving Kate's.

"How could you not tell me? We are supposed to be friends. How could you keep this from me?" Kate accused just as softly, pulling away from Sarah's comforting embrace.

"It's not my secret or my place to tell. And I didn't figure you'd believe me."

Kate let out a strangled laugh.

"Who would? Who would believe it? Who could live with it?"

"Kate, can't you try? After you give yourself some time to absorb it, it's not so bad."

"Sarah, they killed Chase! _I_ almost killed died!"

"Yeah, but by doing it they saved _you_. This is how you repay them?" Sarah pulled back farther, studying Kate's face.

"Ye-n- I don't know! It's just too much! I… I'm going home to my parents in New York. They're gonna get me into some private academy there." Her eyes welled with tears again. "Sarah, I can't stay here. I can't look at Pogue without feeling sick. I actually feel the bites every time he looks at me. And he says Chase made them? How can I even trust him after he lied to me about all this? How do I know it wasn't Pogue?"

"Kate it wasn't Pogue. He loves you. He'd never do that."

"How do you _know_?" Kate asked, begging.

"Kate, how much do you know about Chase?" Sarah asked delicately.

"Just that he had something to do with the spiders…" She shuddered as Sarah rocked back on her knees to sit next to Kate, who was now sitting against the wall next to the toilet. "And that he wanted…something…"

"He was going to kill Caleb for his powers." Kate let out a strangled half-sob, half-laugh

"Sarah, how can you say that? You've only known for a week and you accept it like it's nothing!"

"Maybe because I know they won't hurt anyone?"

"You _don't_ know that! They're dangerous! Pogue _threw me in the air with his mind_! They _killed_ someone!"

"What?" Sarah's blue eyes widened in confusion. Kate recounted her version of what had happened when Pogue explained the powers to her.

_Flashback_

"_Pogue," Kate begged, laughing "Stop! I can't breathe!" With a smirk the long-haired boy stopped tickling his girlfriend long enough to press a kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him, her eyes glazed with love._

"_How are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled away "The doctor said you shouldn't over-do until your bites have healed completely." He reminded, feeling slightly guilty. She smiled up at his concern._

"_I'm fine, Parry. I just… I just don't know where they came from, ya'know? Could they come back? What if they get Sarah next time? What if they get me?" Her giggles had morphed into hysterics. He pressed her head into his chest, ignoring the pain in his broken ribs, stifling her sobs._

"_Kate, they're never going to hurt you again. I swear." He whispered reassuringly into her ear. She pulled back, her dark, teary eyes full of fear. Even with tears running down her face, covered in painful, slowly healing spider bites her beauty astounded him. He loved this woman._

"_How do you know?" She whispered, biting her lip as another tear fell. This was it. Moment of Truth. Literally._

"_Kate… There's something you don't know about the guys and me. We…" He broke off, unsure. A glance into her trusting, puzzled eyes reassured him and he continued. "We're different. We have…powers. The four of us." He paused to gauge her reaction. Her expression was frozen in a confused frown. "But, baby, Chase had them too. He… he wanted our powers and he came after the ones we loved to get them. He did that to you. His spiders. There's a spell…" He glanced into her eyes, again checking her reaction. Her mouth was open in a question, but no sound came out._

"_Kate?"_

"_Spell?" Her oddly high-pitched voice shook._

"_Yeah, a Creation Spell, with spiders. But Kate, you don't have to worry about him anymore! We got rid of him and you got better and now I Ascended so he can't hurt you or any of us ever again." Kate's look of confusion slowly evolved into one of comprehending fear._

"_You 'got rid of him?' What the hell does that mean? And a Creation Spell? What is that? You Ascended? Ascended to what?!" _

"_Kate, I know its hard to believe, but when we turned 13-"_

"_Pogue, you're talking crazy! Are you sure the doctors said your brain scanned alright?"_

"_I'm fine! You just- you have to believe me! I'm not making this shit up!"_

"_NO! I don't have to believe you! And don't you dare try to pin this on Chase! He had nothing to do with this! You're acting crazy! Just because you didn't like the guy doesn't mean he has powers or sent spiders after me! You're crazy!" She had moved from where he'd been holding her on her bed and was now pacing the length of her hospital room, calming down slightly._

"_Kate, we have powers. You know all the stories you always asked me about? The ones about our families? They're all true. But the fifth family was Cha-"_

"_No! Pogue, honey, why are you making this up? It's impossible! Are you sure your head isn't hurt?"_

"_I'm fine! Do you want me to prove it?"_

"_Yes!"_

_So he did. He lifted her into the air, eyes dark as night._

_It was stupid. He realizes that now. He should have realized it would scare her. But at the time, he wanted to impress her, to show her how powerful he was._

_It partially worked. She realized how powerful he was. _

_But it didn't impress her. In fact, she ran screaming from the room and dove behind the information desk. She refused to come out until he'd left. So he did, hiding in the stairwell until he hears her soft footsteps make her way back to her room, still sobbing._

_When she had been in the room a few minutes she'd called him via hospital phone._

"_Pogue? Don't say anything. I just… (sobs) I can't handle this! You really have powers? Chase really…? (more sobs) I can't…I-I...Pogue, I can't handle this! I can't be with you! This can't be my life! (Sobs) I'm scared, Pogue!"_

"_Kate, don't-" And she'd hung up on him_

_(End Flashback)_

"Well..." Sarah trailed off uncertainly. "He loves you." She stated firmly.

"How could he do that to someone he loves? Sarah..."

"Kate, he loves you. He was coming to be with you when Chase got him-"

"WHAT?!"

"Pogue didn't tell you Chase caused his accident?" Sarah asked, troubled eyes wide.

"NO!" Kate's eyes filled with tears again. "Sarah, ENOUGH! Too many secrets... Chase…Pogue's…" She broke off, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. "Sarah, I need to just go. I've already made up my mind, the forms are signed, and I am moving out tomorrow. Maybe I'll come back to visit, but I... I can't stay here."

"Kate-"

"No, Sarah. It's done." Kate wiped her eyes and stood, moving to the sink and randomly grabbing her bathroom stuff - toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, deodorant- and throwing them in a bag, throwing the bag into a box at the foot of her bed before curling up on her bed, sobbing quietly into her pillow and refusing to face Sarah.

* * *

"Cor! You can't leave me hanging like this! I HAVE to live vicariously through you – I, if you will remember, have no love interest and no prospects for one!" The shorter brunette whined, closing the door to her and Corrie's dorm behind them and sinking down onto her friend's bed, watching the other girl's goofy smile jealously. "Stupid lying boys who don't let people know they're already involved with other people…" She muttered bitterly 

"Honey, you have to get over Ryan. He's a jackass and you can do better."

"But he was _perfect_. He was everything-" Corrie cut off the love-struck teen, trying to ignore the glazed look on her face as she thought of the so-called guy of her dreams.

"You want a guy who lies to you and doesn't tell you he has a girlfriend in Indiana? Honey…" The friend's face scrunched up in thought.

"Well, when you put it like that…" The bustier girl frowned, biting her lip in thought, "You're right. He is of the bad. And the non-perfectness. But speaking of perfectness, what was up with The Babe?" The girl asked, her face clearing.

"You know, every time you call him that I think of that little pig in Babe. It's kinda weird." Corrie stalled.

"Yeah," The girl said flatly, clearly not happy with the response, "I'll come up with something more original. The Hottie's already taken for Garwin, but I'll see what I can do. But that didn't answer my question." The girl continued, undeterred.

"Bets, nothing happened. He said hi, I said hi. Normal people do it all the time. People who think of things other than sex when looking at, speaking to, and having casual, non-sexual interaction with the opposite gender!"

"But he _smiled_ at you! Haven't you _seen_ She's the Man enough? 'Man, she gave you the nod.' Well POGUE PARRY GAVE YOU THE NOD!" Her voice shrilled. "And I do NOT think solely of sex! I think about other stuff…"

Corrie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, nothing immediately comes to mind, but I do!"

"Honey. CALM. DOWN. Breathe." Corrie suggested, still smiling. Her short friend tended to have a train of thought that lacked tracks, much less an intended destination. However, this was a positive in matters of the heart, considering Betsy had just had hers trampled. It kept her from dwelling on her own problems. Unfortunately, the lack of attention span did not apply to Corrie's love life.

"Oh, come on. Give me something…please? Oh, bestest friend of mine?" The brown eyed girl gave her friend puppy dog eyes and a pout like no other.

"Well…" Corrie started and Betsy shifted to a more comfortable position, the face she usually reserved for the juiciest gossip firmly in place, ready for some dirt. "You'll appreciate this. We were talking and the drawing he made me-"

"Wait. What?" Betsy interrupted. Her eyes widened at Corrie's vague gesture.

"Hold on! THAT picture, the one hanging up in a frame above your bed? OOOOH! I thought it was some God thing, like the palm of His hand or something. But it's you! And Pogue Parry drew it… That just went from creepy-religious to intensely hot." Her smile spread into a smirk.

"Yeah," Corrie said flatly before letting a small giggle escape, amused by Betsy's thought process. "So I made some comment about awing people with body parts-" She broke off, raising an eyebrow at her friend, who had made a "Betsy Noise." The high keening filled the "lived-in" (messy) dorm and Corrie couldn't help letting her grin grow.

"And he did that eyebrow thing you love so much-" More Betsy Noise "-and was extremely cool about it. He seemed kinda weird, though."

"Weird how?" Betsy asked, huge smile in place, broadcasting her hopeless romantic-ness to the world, yet paying close attention to her friend. Her and Corrie were closer than sisters, and if the gorgeous Son of Ipswich so much as looked at her funny, Betsy was willing to beat him to death with a shovel. Not in an unstable, literal way, but more in a make-a-huge-scene-at-Nicky's-and-embarrass-him-by-telling-everyone-in-the-immediate-vicinity-about-him-having-a-certain-problem-involving-what-his-tiny-Speedo-barely-covered.

"Well, he just looked…sad. And he said something to Nicky about him and Kate having issues…" Corrie bit her lip, honestly distressed at the thought of Pogue being unhappy. They hadn't been friends for years, but she still felt for the guy. She was in, if not the same, then an extremely similar boat herself with relationship woes.

"Huh. Issues. At least you have something in common." Betsy joked blackly, seeing the look on Corrie's face. The look reserved for the one guy who had hurt her to the point where death from an angry Betsy would be too kind and over too soon. "Maybe we can start hanging out with him, in a strictly friend basis." She suggested lightly, bumping shoulders with Corrie as the younger girl sank down heavily next to her.

"I'm beginning to thing friendship with guys is impossible." Corrie admitted.

"I don't know. Maybe there's one out there. I've heard stories..." Betsy joked. Her face darkened for a moment, remembering a certain Indiana-girlfriend-having guy, but cleared almost immediately, transforming into a knowing smirk. "Unless you want more from Pogue…?"

"You know, at this point I really don't. I just…want him as a friend right now." Betsy pulled her into a one-armed embrace, allowing her face to fall into a comforting smile.

"Don't we all."

"But I wouldn't mind-" What Betsy wouldn't mind doing with Pogue Parry was not to be known at this junction, as at that moment their door flew open, admitting an excited looking tall girl with short, light brown hair and a maniacal gleam in her eye.

"Corrie! I heard you and Pogue Parry were talking at Nicky's!" Becky screeched as she tumbled into her best friends' room.

"Gee, good news travels fast." Betsy quipped sarcastically, making room for Becky by moving to her own bed, pulling her flip flops off and replacing them with fuzzy blue socks to ward off the cool Ipswich night.

Corrie recounted her encounter again for the other hopeless romantic as Betsy got up and changed in their bathroom, returning in a pair of comfy PJ pants and a tank, long brown hair pulled back in a messy bun.

"So you LEFT him?" Becky was currently asking, shocked.

"Well, Betsy was waving at me and she's my rid-"

"Oh, my God, I was just telling you I was leaving! I was gesturing for you to stay! YOU COULD HAVE RIDDEN THE _DUCATI_!" Betsy complained as she flopped on her quilt-covered bed, covering her face with her hands with a groan. "You probably could have gotten laid, too!"

"God, that _is_ all you think about!" Becky quipped, tossing Corrie's pillow at the short girl's head.

"Hey, I've got my priorities straight. This year I'm not living with parents or overprotective brothers and I intend to make the most of it. I'm looking forward to not being a virgin anymore."

"Aren't we all." Becky concurred.

"Do you get weirder by the minute or is it just me?." Corrie asked rhetorically as she shot them both looks before taking her turn in the bathroom, emerging in a pair of Soffes and a cami.

"How do you sleep in that? Don't you get cold?" Betsy asked the age-old question, breaking off her quiet conversation with Becky about the pros and cons of dating a swimmer vs. a soccer player (Betsy voted swimmer; Becky went soccer).

"For the billionth time, NO." Corrie said, laughing as always at the continuous joke. "Aren't you burning up in those?" She asked, gesturing to the thick PJ pants.

"Hun, I'm always hot." Betsy replied with a smirk.

"Yeah… and you say _I'm_ the weird one." Becky added, smiling at her friends.

"You're doing it again." Betsy said, filling the momentary pause. Both other girls looked at her funny, as usual missing the thought train. "You're glowing. I'm gonna get a frickin' sunburn." Corrie blushed.

"Whatever. As long as you don't moan in your sleep again. 'Cause that was just awkward." Betsy continued, watching how Corrie's face darkened to an even darker red.

"What? Sounds like there's a story there." Becky asked, interest piqued.

"You weren't supposed to say anything!" Corrie reprimanded Betsy (Bigmouth).

"Oh, relax. It's Becky." She turned to face the girl in question. "Our first night together in the dorm, I'm sleeping, it's 3 in the morning, and I wake up to this moaning. I'm thinking she's got somebody in her bed or it's the neighbors or something but then she starts saying shit like 'Pogue…' or 'hands' or something and it got real awkward, real fast." Betsy started laughing as she was bombarded by another pillow. "Then she fell out of bed and I laughed at her." Becky joined in her laughter, giggling at the picture of Corrie tangled up in sheets, moaning about a guy and falling on her butt.

"Yeah, then I had to explain what I was dreaming for an hour before _someone_ would let me go back to bed!"

"Hey! I just thought there might be something you needed to discuss!" Betsy said innocently.

"Like what?"

"Like…you were reliving the happiest moment of your entire life in which you gave yourself over to him shamelessly?" She suggested and was rewarded by another pillow to the face. "Where are you _getting_ all of these?!" she asked and threw it back at her roommate.

"I stockpile!" Corrie responded, gesturing to the pile of pillows next to her bed.

"Notice the oh-so-subtle lack of an answer." Betsy said behind her hand to Becky, not bothering to lower her voice from its usual loud volume.

"And no, Pogue and I have not had sex, you pervert!" She said, giving Betsy an 'I'm annoyed with you, yet I can't help but be amused by you' look. Becky laughed.

"Well, I'd better get back to my room. Alisa just told me the news and I had to hear a firsthand account." Becky said, stretching and moving to the door quickly after looking down at her own outfit.

"WHAT are you wearing?" Betsy asked, taking in her friend's school skirt paired with an orange cami, one school knee-high sock pulled up, and its twin missing.

"What?" Becky defended, blushing. "I came in a hurry."

"I hope so. 'Cause if not…we might not be friends anymore." Betsy teased as Corrie rolled her eyes.

"Good night, hun." The artist called as Becky disappeared into the hallway, closing the door with a wave to her two friends.

The room was quiet a moment before Betsy broke it.

"No moaning tonight, okay?"

Corrie threw another pillow at her.

"I wasn't moaning. I was...conversing."

"Yeah, and Ryan and his girlfriend are merely acquaintances and he's really, deeply, madly, truly, insanely in love with me and wants me to marry him, and bear him many, many children."

"You corrupt everything."

"Mostly because you let me."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am. I always am!" Betsy called loudly, tucking herself in and turning out the light, falling asleep almost immediately, dreaming about blonde-haired, brown-eyed children who looked just like their father.

"Yeah, yeah." Corrie muttered with an amused smile as she tucked herself in as well. Soon the sound of Betsy's soft breathing filled the room, lulling Corrie to sleep herself.

The last thing she saw before sleep claimed her was Pogue Parry's face behind her lids, eyes full of sadness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Found Out**

_Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls_

* * *

The next morning was difficult for Pogue. His alarm clock went off at the usual 4:30, forcing him to drag himself out of bed in time for morning practice, which he went to grudgingly, hoping two hours of straight Butterfly would wear him out to the point where thinking becomes impossible. Unfortunately, Coach chose today to work on starts and turns, giving the tired swimmers ample down time.

After showering and getting dressed, the troubled teen made his way into the main cafeteria for a quick breakfast, ignoring Caleb and Sarah's invitation to run into town for a quick bite.

He was just settling in over his meal of runny eggs and dry toast when he happened to glance up and see a familiar brunette standing in the coffee line with her short friend, muffling a yawn. The corners of his mouth lifted as he took in her short shorts and big, comfy hoodie. Nothing could be more Corrie.

Almost instantly, she turned around, a bored look on her face as Betsy ordered herself a caramel macchiato, some Pumpkin Spice drink for Becky, and a Chai tea for Corrie. Corrie's tired eyes scanned the room on their own accord, trying not to think about a certain long haired guy who had starred in her dreams all night.

However, this attempt at non-thinking was interrupted and immediately abandoned as she spotted said guy, their eyes locking in a surprisingly intimate manner from across the crowded room. Without a word to Betsy she drifted over to him, pulling a chair out at his empty table and sinking into it with a tired groan at his gesture to join him.

"Morning." Pogue grunted out as he began shoveling food into his mouth, trying to keep up with his swimmer metabolism. She watched him eat, her mouth pulled up in a tiny smile.

"Hi." She smiled with her eyes. "You're going to choke if you don't slow down, Romeo."

And just like that, they were back in Art 1 three years earlier. He smiled at the nickname.

The memory of the day she had given it to him swam to the surface of both of their minds and they smiled in unison.

_Flashback:_

"_Pogo stick!" Reid screamed at the top of his lungs, startling the entire art room into silence. He pulled his head out of the door to join the rest of his body loitering in the hallway on the way to lunch, hand outstretched. Caleb slapped down a five in his palm, muttering something to the effect of "Didn't think you'd actually do it." _

_Pogue blushed a deep crimson and Tyler rolled his eyes, also turning a faint shade of pink at the nickname. Corrie raised an eyebrow delicately in question as Becky chuckled next to her._

"_Nickname. Very stupid." Pogue offered, embarrassed._

"_Sounds like there's a story there." Corrie taunted, smiling. Pogue smiled back, amazed at how cute she looked with a pottery wheel between her knees and clay smudged on her cheek._

"_Pogo _**stick**_? Reid came up with it and you can't guess the connotation?" Tyler asked quietly with a small smirk. _

"_Is that a penis metaphor?" Becky asked bluntly, having spent too much time around Betsy lately._

"_Becks!" Corrie colored slightly, realizing her assumption that Pogue was just a pogo stick enthusiast was ever so slightly wrong._

_The boys just looked at them, half embarrassed, half amused by their naïveté._

_Later, after class:_

"_So…" Corrie said as Pogue walked her to her locker, leaning up against it before twirling in the combination and grabbing next period's books. He leaned in towards her, supporting his weight with an arm above her head as their lips almost met, faces centimeters apart._

"_So what, Cor?"_

"_You're dazzling me." He leaned back, giving her some space to regain her thoughts._

"_I don't like your nickname."_

"_And you think I do? Reid just calls me that to piss me off sometimes."_

"_What if I gave you a nickname?"_

"_What would it be?" He asked, smiling at her childish enthusiasm. She was so damn __**cute**_

"_Romeo." His hand came up to lightly brush her cheek, brushing off the dried clay._

"_Soft, what light through yonder window breaks. It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." He quoted softly as their bodies grew closer._

"'_Tis but thy name that is my enemy." She whispered, eyes locked onto his. He leaned in, ever so slightly, lips brushing hers before she turned her head slightly so that they descended upon her jaw._

"_Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" He asked with a groan as she maneuvered out of his arms. He backed up and away from her locker, realizing what she had the moment before their kiss, which was that they were already three minutes late to their next period class._

"_What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?" She asked as she crouched to retrieve a book (did it matter which one? Pogue Parry had just almost kissed her!!!). He reached over her shoulder and pulled out the fake red rose she kept in her locker as decoration._

"_Love goes toward love, like schoolboys from their books. But love from love, toward school with heavy looks." He quoted, trailing the silky petals down her spine through the thin white fabric of her shirt. He watched her shiver and stand, a slight blush adorning her face._

"_We're late." She stated, breaking with the Shakespeare theme._

"_Yeah, I know." He admitted as he carelessly tossed the rose back into her locker and wrapped an arm around her neck, gently towing her toward their next class. He Used to close her locker and put her rose back where it belonged, oblivious to how her sharp eyes caught the movement and narrowed in thought._

_(End Flashback)_

"Does he still call you that?" She asked, fiddling with the drawstrings of her hoodie.

"Sometimes, when he's running low on drama or whores." He answered, understanding completely. Corrie chuckled and was pleased to hear a small rumble of laughter from him.

"Morning practice this morning?"

"How could you tell?" He asked, running a hand through his wet hair self-consciously.

"Wet hair's sort of a dead give away." At his look she continued. "I mean on a day in Ipswich when it's _not_ raining like there's no tomorrow. Like, you know, _today_ for instance. And the fact that you're here."

"I go to school here." He said playfully, in a slow, clear voice, as if she were mentally handicapped.

"Not this early in the morning. Unless you moved into the dorms?" She asked, hope sparkling in her eyes.

"Still in the apartment. Sorry, Cor."

"Ah, hem." Both teens jumped a little to see a fair skinned brunette who looked strikingly like Corrie standing at the table with three steaming cups of Starbucks goodness. "Honey, I just wanted to drop this with you. I'm gonna take Becks's and mine up to the room. Want me to grab your books for first period?" Betsy asked, a 'I'm-living-vicariously-through-you" smile plastered on her face as she carefully set Corrie's tea down in front of her.

"Hun, I'm in my Sofees. I can't exactly go to class like this." Corrie quipped, telling Betsy through her eyes to knock it off with the maniacal grinning. "I'll be up in a few."

"Okay, babe." Betsy winked and gave Pogue a smile as she made her way back to her dorm room.

"Hun? Babe? Have you gone over to the other side?" Pogue asked playfully.

"Oh, yeah. Betsy's my lesbian lover and we have lesbo sex at every possible moment. In fact, we had lesbian shower sex this morning before coming down here." Corry drawled sarcastically. Pogue's face showed his shock at her words. "Romeo, she's my best friend. We share a dorm. Jeez, are you gullible."

"You're more sarcastic than you used to be." He commented, watching for her reaction.

"That happens some times when…" She trailed off, averting her eyes and taking a sip of tea. "So, what've you been up to since last night?" She asked brightly. Well, as brightly as anybody can at 6:40 in the morning.

"Nothin'. Couldn't sleep." She studied his face, took in the dark bags under his eyes and the subconscious slump of his shoulders.

"Me either." She confessed, rubbing a hand across her face in an effort to wake herself up.

"Aren't you cold in those?" He asked, gesturing to her bare legs and short shorts.

"Are you complaining?" She challenged.

"Never."

They sat in companionable silence for a few more moments before a high-pitched voice brought them out of their thoughts.

"MOM, I will pick out my own dress. And no, I will not wear heels! Because, heels are a man's invention designed to make a woman's butt look smaller…and to make it harder for her to run away!"

"Sorry." Corry apologized before flipping open her phone and raising it to her ear.

"Cor, you're gonna be late if you don't leave lover-boy soon. You've got time for an 8 minute shower if you leave now. Your uniform's all ready. Run, babe!" Betsy's voice suggested quickly before the line went dead and Corry scrambled up from the hard plastic chair.

"I've gotta-"

"Go. I heard her." He offered her a sexy half-smile. "See you later?"

"Sure, sure." She muttered as she grabbed her hot tea and started her mad dash for the showers, the only rational thought in her mind the question of what he'd though when he'd heard Betsy mutter 'Lover-boy.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, Ryan, & the girls

Swimming & Lacrosse aren't exactly during the same season, but in Bella-Land they are. Just go with it. Hope you enjoy the length - all of this chapter and the next (and part of the _next_ one after that) were all written tonight (my butt has been planted in this chair for around 5 hours)to make up for my looooong hiatus. Back now, & I'll hopefully be able to post more soon.

_

* * *

_

_Why are you even here? _Corry read the tiny scrawl covering the tiny piece of paper.

_What? What are you talking about?_ She responded, sliding the scrap of notebook paper onto Becky's notebook.

_You're not concentrating at all. Why are you even here? Are you sick or something? Do you need me to cover for you next period?_ She quickly responded it before passing it back to Corrie.

_I'm fine. Just thinking. Why? Do I look sick?_ She responded.

_No – maybe tired. But you're completely zoning out. More than usual._ Becky passed the note back to Corrie.

_No more than usual. I'm fine. _

"Okay, that may have been the longest lacrosse practice of. My. LIFE." Corrie complained as she unlocked her and Betsy's dorm room, speaking loud enough for Betsy (or whoever was making noise in there) to hear her on the other side of the door. She was cold, muddy, still replaying the way Pogue had smiled at her over 12 hours ago, weighed down by 3 text books, and every muscle in her entire body ached from running up and down a freezing, muddy field with a stick since the last bell of the day released the students of Spenser Academy. With a sigh, she wrenched open the thick wooden door. And felt her jaw drop at the sight that greeted her.

"Bets, what's wrong?" Corrie asked, dropping her keys in alarm to find her roommate curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow, hiccuping, with tears streaming down her face. "Oh, sweetie, what happened?"

"N-nothing!" Betsy lied unconvincingly and wiped the tears from her face, only to replace them with more. "I'm fine!"

Corrie pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, sweetie. What happened."

"A-Amanda's coming here! As in HERE, Spenser, to visit Ryan! As in HERE! SHE'S COMING _HERE_! And they're going to sleep in the same dorm room, in the same BED, and they're going to –" Betsy broke off, sobbing hysterically.

"She's sort of allowed to. They're dating." Corrie reminded her gently.

"Well they shouldn't be! He should be with-!" Betsy broke off pathetically and buried her face in a pillow, "My life is over."

"Oh, honey, you're being ridiculous." Corrie wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders. "You know and I both know that Ryan is too much of a prude to do anything, and is crazy about _you_. Remember Homecoming?"

"If he's so crazy for me, then why's he still with _her_?" Betsy asked, unconvinced.

"Try to see it from his point of view. Maybe she's just coming here so he can break up with her in person."

"Yeah, and John's actually Prince Charming and is going to sweep you off your feet someday and ride you off into the sunset where you'll live happily ever after and pop out a billion John Marvin Tormentor the Thirds and Fourths and Billionths!" She responded viciously.

"Are you done?" Corrie asked calmly, coloring slightly.

"It's out of my system. I'm sorry. I don't mean to take it out on you. John's not the one. He's the dragon and one day Prince Charming's going to come slay him for you and put us both out of our misery." Betsy apologized, feeling slightly better at the thought of John being mutilated.

"Hopefully."

Betsy pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Cor, I'm sorry. That was way below the belt. I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean it."

"I know. It's fine."

"No, it's not." Corrie didn't respond.

"He's a wormy little bastard and if he ever comes within 50 feet of you I will personally beat him to within an inch of his worthless, insignificant, nasty, creepy little life."

"Is it wrong that that makes me feel better?"

"Completely." Betsy gave her a small smile and wiped away the last traces of her tears. "But hey, you're in good company."

"The best." Corrie smiled at the quip. "Now have you actually talked to Ryan about Amanda coming?" She asked, changing the subject.

"No… Carla said that Ryan told her that Amanda's coming and Carla told me to stay kinda away from him because she didn't want me to have to see them together because you remember how I told Car how I don't want to meet her? And Carla was really upset about it because you know she likes Ryan too – that whore – I totally trusted her enough to tell her how crazy I am about him and we were stupid enough to hang out with her and she KNOWS how much I like Ryan yet she persists in making comments about him that make him sound like a man-whore or a hunk of meat or something equally chauvinistic and I'm so sick of it and she is such a whore and she JUST broke up with Thomas! What is wrong with her?! Doesn't she have the decency to give the year and a half relationship a proper mourning period? Say, more than an HOUR?! And what kind of a person starts hitting on a guy their friend is head over heels for? I mean, who _does _that?! She's such a CHEAP WHORE!"

"So you don't know why or when or if she's coming at all? Or is Carla just being a bitch?" Corry asked calmly.

"Exactly! Wait, what?"

"You underestimate Car. I was there when we were hanging out with her, and that girl is vicious. She has this set of morals that keep her from ever cheating on a test, but if someone is in the way of her getting what she wants, she won't hesitate to stab you in the back. I wouldn't put it past her to lie to you. I just don't know what point there would be to it. You're smart enough to realize Amanda isn't here if you never see her."

"She probably thinks I'd start avoiding Ryan. I have a history of avoiding problems, if you'll remember."

"Possible."

"That's it! She wants me out of the picture so she can get all cozy with Ryan and I won't be the wiser! THAT BITCH!" Betsy stood suddenly at her outburst, livid and ready to hunt down the trashy redhead.

"You have no idea how loud you are sometimes, do you?" Corrie asked as the sound of heels clicking down a hallway reached them. A few seconds later one of the professors who lived on campus to keep an eye on the dorm-dwellers opened their door and poked her head in, glaring at them.

"Obscenity is not tolerated here, or have you forgotten your last detention for the same offense, Miss Swann! And after hours! You should be aslee- What in God's name is wrong with your face?"

"WHAT?! What's wrong with my face? Cor? What's wrong with it?!" Betsy asked, bringing both hands up to cover her mascara-streaked face.

"Eye make up, m'am." Corrie explained with an eye roll toward Betsy. "We just got word about her brother's fiancé breaking off the wedding." Corrie leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to the professor, glancing pityingly at Betsy. "They were really close. Like sisters." Betsy almost rolled her eyes, but the teacher gobbled it up. Corrie Black would never lie, after all. Corrie continued, eyes wide with sympathy and innocence. "We're _so_ sorry. It won't happen again."

"William? Oh, that's awful. He was always so fragile and quiet…" The professor muttered, her features softening. "I'm sorry. Pass on my sympathy to him. Brightest chemistry student I ever had…" She muttered, closing the door softly and returning to her post down the hall to ponder her favorite student's bad fortune.

"You amaze me sometimes." Betsy said, sinking to her bed.

"I amaze myself sometimes, too."

"And modest, too! Yes, sir, Mr. Parry! She's the whole package," Betsy quipped in a fake-announcer voice, "And you've ALSO won a year's supply of Turtle Wax to keep that drop-dead sexy Ducati in prime condition. Congratulations, and thanks for playing the 'Rip My Clothes Off' Game!"

"Have you been chewing energy gum again? You are completely loopy." Corrie blushed, her dimples showing as she fought the smile making its way onto her face. "Ro-ogue and I are just friends."

"Oh, damn. You're calling him Romeo again, aren't you?" Betsy asked, her issues with Ryan completely forgotten as she focused on the adorableness of Corrie's love life.

"Just once…" Corry said quietly, not meeting Betsy's curious gaze.

"It's moving faster than you thought." Betsy suggested, hitting on Corrie's thoughts completely.

"I'm just remembering how close we were, and I can't help but be drawn to him."

"Honey, that's not a bad thing." Betsy assured her, meeting her gaze earnestly.

"We're not even friends anymore."

"That can change, and, judging by how he was acting this morning, he's interested in friendship at the very least."

"I miss him. I miss having any guy friends, actually. Ryan's great, but…"

"Damn him. He doesn't even know what he did to you." Betsy said bitterly, referring to John.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore. I want him in the past."

"Where he belongs."

"Yes."

"Maybe seeing where this Pogue thing takes you will help you get over him. The magical healing powers of Pogue Parry. Mends broken hearts like _that_." Betsy snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"What's with the sales pitches tonight? Turtle wax, now 'magical healing powers?' Is there a reason, or are you just in some weird mood?"

"We were making a game show in Video last period and I was coming up with prize ideas and taglines and all that and now I can't turn them off." Betsy admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I'm tired. I'm gonna shower then go to bed. Keep your personality disorder in check until I get back, please."

"Will do!" Betsy said cheerfully, hysterical crying almost completely forgotten. "I'll probably be asleep when you get back. I have swimming tomorrow morning."

"Say hi to the Baby Daddies for me." Betsy giggled at their nickname for the Sons of Ipswich.

"Will do." Betsy repeated.

"Night, hun."

"Night, Baby Mama."

Corry chuckled as she closed the door behind her, feeling much better than she had since breakfast with Romeo.

* * *

You know the drill - **R & R**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & my origional characters

* * *

When she got back to their dorm room, Betsy was in fact asleep, her face clean of the clumpy black eye makeup and open with innocence in sleep. Her bulky pink swimming bag was, as usual, packed and waiting at the end of her bag for her to easily grab and drag to practice the next morning at the ungodly hour of 4:30 AM. 

Corrie quietly slipped under her comforter, set her own alarm for 6:00, and quickly drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

_Dream:_

_"Corrie!" John's voice carried down the hall, and the girl in question turned immediately and made her way to the edge of the hallway to wait for the skinny boy, happy to see her best friend. He returned the smile and hurried to her side._

_"Hey, Johnny T!" She said as he pulled her into an uncomfortably long hug. She started squirming after a few seconds, and tried to end it and pull away. She loved John like a brother, and it broke her heart to have him act like this. They were best friends; not friends with benefits. _

_She tried to gently pull away, so as not to hurt his feelings, but as she did his hands tightened on her waist, pulling her to himself as the people rushed by. She pushed him as best she could, but he only hugged her tighter._

_"John, get offa me!" His face contorted in rage, and he smashed his lips down on hers, yanking her head back by her hair. When he couldn't hold her struggling form anymore with one hand, he untangled his hand from her hair and pulled it back, delivering a harsh slap to her face. She fell into the lockers with a metallic clang, clutching her stinging cheek and ignoring the throbbing pain wher her shoulder met metal. She glared up at him in shock, not believing what he had done. Over his shoulder, in the sea of people, she picked out the distinct face of Pogue Parry, and their eyes locked. He was, in a word, furious._

_(End Dream)_

Corrie woke with a jolt to the sound of quiet shuffling somewhere nearby. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and panic cleared her head immediately. In less than a second she had leapt from her bed and tackled the dark figure lurking between the beds.

They hit the ground with a thud, a gross snap, and a squeal of pain from the blob, who started swearing colorfully in a very familiar way.

"Betsy?" Corrie asked, "What the hell are you doing skulking around at 4:30 in the morning?! Are you okay?"

"I was trying to go to swim practice without waking you up, but I guess you decided I needed to be tackled so that I could break my leg putting on this stupid swim suit and miss practice altogether!" Betsy hissed.

Corrie immediately rolled off her, realizing the other girl's lack of pants.

"You're not wearing any pants!"

"No shit. I was putting on my drag suit." At Corrie's horrified silence, she elaborated. "My bare ass wasn't shaking out at you while you were sleeping. I already had one on that I put on in the bathroom." Her tone was whispered and harsh. "Are you alright? Can you turn on a light, maybe?"

Ignoring the question of her own health, Corrie reached up and pulled the string on the lamp, bathing both of them in a warm golden glow.

"There's no way I'm going to swimming like this." Betsy's voice broke, and tears started pooling at the edges of her eyes as she took in the rapidly growing bruise on her bare leg and the mind-numbing pain that shot through her as she tried to move. She had hit the nightstand on her way down, smacking into it at just the right angle to make something go _crack_ in her leg and explode with pain in her brain.

Corrie, who was completely fine, hurriedly untangled the second swim suit from her friend's legs and gently pulled Betsy by her arms up onto her bed, ignoring the other girl's protests.

"I have to go see the nurse, and you can't get me there yourself." Betsy stated the obvious, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears.

"What do you want to do?" For some reason her thoughts immediately turned to Pogue. She opened her mouth at the same time Betsy opened hers.

"Call Ryan." "Pogue will help."

They looked at each other, both considering the other's suggestion.

"Pogue's awake."

"But he's at practice."

"But Ryan's asleep."

"True…"

"I'll call him."

"No, don't…"

"I'm calling him. He's closer anyway."

Corry picked up Betsy's phone from the other girl's bed, where she had left it after turning off the 4:30 alarm, and scrolled through her address book, eventually finding 'Ryan.' After five rings, she was ready to give up when a low voice grunted something in her ear.

"Ryan?"

"Baby? Uh, I mean, Betsy? Why are you calling me at…4:30 in the morning?!"

"Ryan, it's Corrie. I'm on Betsy's phone. She had an accident, and we need you to help us get her to the nurse."

"What? Is she alright?" Corrie was amazed by how alert his voice got at the mention of Betsy in relation to the nurse.

"Not sure. She's not sick or anything, but she can't move her leg."

"I'll be there soon."

"Thank-" She started thanking him, but gave up on talking to the dial tone. Instead, she focused on elevating Betsy's leg above her head.

"This stupid bag actually has a purpose for once." Betsy quipped, examining the pink backpack keeping her leg elevated.

Seconds later, they heard rapping on their door and muttering coming from the hallway. Corrie answered the door.

"Betsy?" Ryan asked, walking in without a word to Corrie, his eyes drawn to Betsy, who burst out laughing at him, hiccupping as her tears slowed.

"Ryan, what are you _wearing_?" She asked through her giggles. He blinked at her a few times before looking down and noticing his Batman boxers and white wife beater. He looked back up at her, blushing.

"I thought you needed me." He said simply, his dark eyes blinking rapidly to keep alert. Betsy blushed at his honesty (which may or may not have come out had he been fully awake) and at how he knelt next to her and examined her bare leg. "I can carry you, but you'll probably have to go to the hospital, 'cause I'm pretty sure this is broken."

"What? It's in tip-top condition." Betsy said sarcastically.

"Corrie, are you alright? Did you break anything?"

"F-fine." Corrie choked out.

"What were you two doing?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Going to practice…"

"I kind of woke up and thought she was –" Corrie broke off, unwilling to relive either the nightmare or her actions after she awoke.

"Not another one…" Betsy groaned sympathetically, having witnesses Corrie's John nightmares. It would be days before she fully recovered.

"So what happened."

"Ryan, can we just go? My leg really hurts." Betsy evaded and started crying again. "I'm sorry we had to get you up for this. It's just, I can't walk and she's not strong enough, and…"

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. I'm here." Ryan whispered tenderly, pulling her into a hug and letting her tears soak into his white wife beater.

"I-I'm…I'm not wearing any pants!" Betsy realized suddenly. Corrie quickly found a pair of cleanish fuzzy black PJ pants Betsy had left on a chair. Corrie pulled them over the bruised skin gently with shaking hands, tying them loosely under her oversized hoodie.

When Betsy was properly clothed, Ryan scooped her up with an arm behind her knees and the other supporting her back and started the trek across campus, cradling her to his chest.

"Cor, can you call my parents? And Coach?" Betsy grimaced at the thought of their reactions.

"Sure, sure. What else? Is there anything I can do?"

"I think I've got her. Hold onto your cell and I'll call you if anything changes." Ryan promised as they made their was slowly down the hall, whispering quietly together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, Ryan, & the Baby Mamas

* * *

If Corrie weren't so riddled with guilt at having caused the accident and so upset by the dream, she would have made a mental note to share how couple-y they looked with Betsy's head resting on his shoulder, his strong arms wrapped securely around her, as he walked through the door and out to his car. As is, she was scared, confused, and running solely on adrenaline.

With shaking hands, she scrolled through the names on her own contact list. She was about to hit 'send' and call Betsy's parents, but hesitated before snapping the phone shut. She would call them when she had something to tell them, like where they were taking Betsy.

Unfortunately, Corry's phone didn't have any names of anyone on the swim team she could call to tell about Betsy's absence, except for one, and, despite her first inclination to call him, there was no one she wanted to talk to less.

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself halfway to the swimming pool, phone clenched in her hand. He would be swimming and she could just duck in, explain the situation to the coach, and duck out without having to see Him or have Him see her with crazy bed head. Perfect plan.

Except that the team was working on starts when she slipped in and the coach was in the dead center of the mob of Speedo-clad swimmers, talking to (who else) Pogue Parry.

She wanted to turn around and go back to bed, hopefully to wake up and find this all to be some unfortunate dream, but some of the catty girls who'd hated her since freshman year were already glaring at her and shooting her jealous looks, gossiping loud enough for some of the guys to notice and start asking questions. Best to just get it over with.

She waited as the assistant coach started the rest of the team, watching them swim to the end of the pool and pull themselves out of the chlorinated water. Yet still Pogue kept talking to the coach, waving his arms around in what she assumed was actually some form of swimming (it looked like he was just flailing around), asking some complex question.

Eventually he finished and turned, seeing her there.

No avoiding him. She waved to him, trying not to stare or blush at his body and attempting to forget his ire from the dream. He waved her over, and she complied. She had to talk to the coach, whom she had never met before, and what better way to break the ice than to be introduced by one of his captains?

"Uh, good morning." She started, staring into the young face of the coach and trying not to look at Pogue.

"Coach, this is Corrie Black. She's a friend of mine." Pogue introduced her, and the coach shook her hand distractedly.

"Coach Mike." He muttered, looking over her head at the swimmers at the other end of the pool. "Eh, Katie!" He yelled, ignoring Corrie standing right in front of him, "No sign of Bets?"

"Sir, that's why I'm here. I'm her roommate and she had an accident coming to practice this morning. A friend's taking her to the hospital now. We think she has a broken leg." Corrie said in a rush, afraid of the man's reaction to the news. She had heard many a time from Betsy of his infamous temper, and she wasn't disappointed. A vein began pulsing in his forehead and his face took on a hue similar to that of Betsy's swimming bag: bright pink.

"What?! Sectionals are coming up and she needs all the practice she can get –" The coach broke off in frustration. Pogue said nothing, watching Corrie's face turn from mild fear to annoyance at the insult to her friend.

"It's not her fault! I –" She started before reigning in her anger. She took a calming breath, understanding completely Betsy's aversion to the man. "I just came to tell you she won't be at practice for a while. I've now done that, so have a nice rest of the morning." She bit off as respectfully as she could before turning on her heel and marching back out of the pool area, ignoring the harsh whispers bouncing around the tiled walls.

"Cor, wait. Hold on. Just wait a second." He grabbed her elbow, slowing her down as she walked across the campus. She whirled on him, eyes flashing.

"What? Pulled yourself away from Coach 'I'm an Asshole' long enough to go trotting across campus in your underwear?" She asked harshly, imagining she would be seeing his look of fury soon and dreading it, but finding herself unable to stop the words from spilling out. He surprised her when he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, concern the only emotion present.

"He's just worried about her. Just like I'm worried about you. What happened?" He asked, his eyes locked onto hers.

"It's my fault she's hurt. I was stupid and I had this dream and I thought she was him and –" She broke off as he pulled her into a hug. "Pogue, it was so horrible." She whispered into his wet chest.

"What happened." He asked softly, wrapping his arms around her securely.

"He…he was hugging me, then he wouldn't let go. Then he kissed me… Then he-he hit me…" She trailed off.

"Who? Who hit you?" She looked up into his face, seeing a shadow of the anger under the look of concern.

"It's not important. Don't…don't worry about it. Just a stupid dream." She wiped a tear away and tried to laugh it off, pulling away.

Pogue wasn't buying it.

"Cor…who was it." He asked gently.

"John." She whispered quietly, not meeting his intense gaze. He pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled her into another embrace.

"Who's John?"

* * *

Ha Ha Ha!

The truth comes out in the next chapter! John is finally explained!

**Stay Tuned ! **

**Read & Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, Ryan, John, & the girls

Duh Duh Duh Duh...

The infamous Chapter 8! I know I promised John would be explained...and he is...but there is more explaining to come. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_(Last Chapter...)_

_"It's not important. Don't…don't worry about it. Just a stupid dream." She wiped a tear away and tried to laugh it off, pulling away._

_Pogue wasn't buying it._

_"Cor…who was it." He asked gently._

_"John." She whispered quietly, not meeting his intense gaze. He pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled her into another embrace._

_"Who's John?"_

* * *

"John Tormentor. He was on the swim team for 3 years. You never heard of him?" 

"Describe him." Pogue's eyes hardened.

"White guy, hazel eyes. Medium height and skinny. He's a senior. I think he swam… backstroke?" She trailed off uncertainly

"Jonny T? Was he slow? Over rotated on his Back?" Pogue asked.

"What does that mean? Is that some swim team innuendo joke thing?"

"No. Ugh. It means his arm went at an angle behind his head when he – never mind. It doesn't matter. I know the guy. He quit this year, didn't he? What about him? Did he hurt you?"

"It was just a dream."

"What did you dream about him?"

"Does it matter?"

"Sounds like, considering you're shaking like a leaf." He said, holding her hands loosely between them. Corrie stared at their entwined fingers, feeling their warmth despite the December chill seeping through her pajamas.

"Romeo, aren't you cold?"

"It's that obvious?" He asked, dropping her hands and taking a step back, folding his hands in front of himself awkwardly.

"You've got goosebumps. Of course they're obvious."

"Yeah…"

"Look, you need to get back in there to practice. One captain being gone is enough. And it's starting to snow."

But he stayed, staring into her eyes, as the flakes started falling softly on them.

"Come with me. I'll take you to breakfast after." He asked softly.

"Coach Mike doesn't like me very much." She bit her lip.

"Fuck him." Pogue took her hand again, and started towing her back toward the pool.

"He…He thought he loved me. He was my best friend, and he thought he loved me, so he asked me out and I told him no." Corry whispered to his back. He stared straight ahead, afraid of what his face might tell her.

"He kept asking me, and I kept telling him 'no, John, I don't think of you like that.'" She broke off with a sob. "But he wouldn't stop." Pogue's hand tightened as another sob made its way out. "Then he changed."

Pogue finally stopped and enveloped her in a swift hug, tucking her head into his chest so she wouldn't see the fury etched on his face. Whatever else he did, John had hurt her so badly she couldn't even talk about it.

Pogue held her as she sobbed, her tears burning his chest where they fell. If he had been there for her, he could have helped her, protected her…

"Come on. We're going to your room." He decided, lifting her easily in his strong arms the same way Ryan had held Betsy.

"You have practice –"

"Doesn't matter. You do."

"Pogue, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"The man isn't inhuman. He'll understand."

Her argument gone, at least for the moment, Corrie sighed and started squirming.

"I can walk, you know."

"Yeah, you probably could." He responded without breaking pace.

"You're not going to put me down, are you."

"Nope."

She sighed again, then glanced at their surroundings.

"This isn't my building."

"It's Reid and Tyler's."

"Why are we here?" She asked, confused.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it's a little bit chilly outside and I'm wearing practically nothing." He teased lightly.

"I had noticed that, yes." She murmured into his shoulder, blushing.

In a few seconds they were out of the cold and Pogue's bare feet were thawing as he set her softly on a chair in the common room.

"I'll be right back." He promised.

"I'll be waiting." A small smile peeked out from her teary face.

He left her on the chair, wiping her tears away.

* * *

When he returned less than a minute later in a pair of Tyler's sweat pants and one of Reid's swimming hoodies that he had Used to borrow from their room, he was met with the sight of Corrie curled into a defensive ball on the chair, eyes locked with a semi-familiar white guy of medium-height with bleary hazel-eyes standing across the room from her in a pair of boxers and a wife beater, staring right back at her. Awkwardness and tension permeated the air, leaving Pogue with a metallic taste in his mouth. 

"Corrie." Pogue broke the tension, striding to her side quickly as she scrambled to her feet. "Ready to go?" He asked, pointedly ignoring John.

"Yep." Her voice was too flat to actually pass as casual. Pogue's hand made its way to the small of her back as he guided her from the room, completely ignoring the gaping stare and indefinable look on the face of the other guy in the room.

"Corrie!" They both turned as John's warbley, pre-pubescent voice filled the room. "We should talk." He shrank back a step at the force of Pogue's glare.

"Umm…"

Just then, Corrie's cell phone began to vibrate and she flipped it open gratefully.

"Ryan?"

"_Corrie, the nurse said it's broken and she has to go to the hospital so we're in an ambulance on our way to Mercy to have it set."_

"Oh, my God. Is she okay other than that?"

"_She's- stop it, okay! Just stop hitting me!"_ Corrie couldn't help but smile at the sounds of Betsy and Ryan fighting over the phone. With a quiet 'owww' from Ryan, Betsy's voice came over the phone.

"_Cor, are you okay? Did your John dream shake you up too much? Where are you? Have you told my parents yet? What about Mike?"_

"Babe, calm down. Yes, I'm fine now, I'm with him, not quite sure, not yet, I was waiting for you to call, and yes, Mike knows and reacted exactly how you thought he would."

"_Wait, you're with John? By yourself? And you don't know where? What the hell, Cor, that's not safe, get OUT of there-" _

"YES, but Pogue straightened it out for me." Corrie assured her, hoping Betsy would pick up on what she was really saying. "He really is a great boyfriend. I'm so lucky to have him. He skipped practice for me because I was so upset about your accident." She hesitated for a moment before bringing her hand up to cup Pogue's cheek, feeling John's eyes on her.

"_Pogue's with you? And John?"_

"Uh-hu. I'll call them as soon as I get back to our room."

"_He's listening. Did he hurt you? Stay with Pogue. I'm com-"_ Betsy broke off with a groan of frustration. _"I'm _not_ coming. Damn it, Corrie! Why my leg? Why not my finger, or my arm, or my nose! Do you need Ryan to come rescue you?"_

"Nope, I'll be fine. You get better! I love you, too. Bye." Corrie hung up with shaky fingers.

"Babe, we have reservations." Pogue said, breaking the short silence following the phone call. Corrie blinked at him, confused. "Remember? I promised you breakfast last night, since we skipped dinner…" He trailed off, a small smirk growing on his handsome face.

"Oh. Yeah." Corrie blushed at his implications, still feeling John's glare burning holes into her bare legs. "You owe me French Toast."

"And you owe me the syrup." He smiled down at her and leaned in, shocking his "girlfriend" by dropping a kiss on her lips.

John made a noise that sounded something like a choke.

"Oh. Tormentor. Didn't see you there." Pogue acknowledged him with a cocky smile, wrapping an arm around Corrie's waist. She clung to him, hiding most of her body behind his. "Baby, we should go." She nodded and he turned, walking back out into the cold December morning.

"Corrie!" They again turned as the gangly boy called out to them. "Is Betsy okay?"

As much as she wanted to ignore him, Corrie couldn't help but respond. John had been Betsy's "friend" too.

"She's fine."

"Oh. Okay." He glared at Pogue. "Later, Parry."

Pogue grunted in response and started walking again, arm still wrapped around Corrie.

* * *

How much do you love me? Help me count the ways...Write a review! 


	9. Chapter 9

**Found Out**

**A/N**

Nothing belongs to me except John, the plot, & the girls

This story is going to be dedicated to my best friend, Corrie, as my birthday AND CHRISTMAS gift to her.

You guys, I suck for not updating, but I've been working on this for a while and I wanted it to be good. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and set this on story alert - it's because of you guys that I'm posting! Aren't you glad I didn't stop this at a one-shot?

Anyway, Merry Christmas (or w/e)! Happy Holidays!

* * *

"Jeez, Romeo! Thanks for the warning!" Corrie exclaimed at they turned the corner of Tyler and Reid's building, headed for Corrie's room. She pulled away slightly, and he let her go. 

"Oh yeah, like you gave _me_ any warning! You're lucky I was eavesdropping or else we'd still be there, reveling in the awkward silence!" He shot back, smiling slightly. She was cute when she was worked up.

"You're right. Thank you for having nothing better to listen to at 5 in the- what was John doing up and wandering around the dorms at 5 in the morning?" Corrie asked rhetorically.

"He isn't usually?"

"He was always more of a night person…"

"Do you speak from experience, or…" Pogue trailed off suggestively, half disgusted and half curious. Well, mostly disgusted. Kind of curious.

"Yes. I screwed his brains out then left him in the middle of the night and he hasn't recovered." She deadpanned, watching his eyes widen. "God, how are you this gullible being friends with Garwin?" She asked, incredulous.

"What?"

"I have never, and will never sleep with John Tormentor." She glared at him. "I already told you, we were friends. He went out with Betsy off and on for two years, took a couple of months to recover from breaking up with her, then started stalking me. That's all."

"Betsy. Tormentor dated Betsy?" Pogue asked, expecting a punch line. "As in Betsy Swann? As in Swim Team co-captain?"

"Yeah… as in my best friend, roomie, and number one dance partner at Nicky's."

"Wait, that was her at Nicky's? That was Betsy?" Pogue asked, comprehension dawning over his face.

"You didn't recognize her? You see her every day in the pool!"

"Not with clothes on! And, you know, hair!" He took a moment to absorb the revelation. "She dated Tormentor?"

"Yeah. For two years, off and on." Corrie sobered, rubbing her arms, shivering through her pajamas and glad that her building was in sight. The cold and this conversation topic would be over soon.

"No. I don't believe it. Betsy? As in captain? As in the girl who may have the most energy and… another word that means happy that I've ever seen? Dated John?"

"Yes. Neither she nor I like to talk about it." Corrie sped up, trying not to revisit painful memories.

"You're serious." Pogue asked, still trying to wrap his brain around the concept that someone as chipper and peppy as Betsy could date someone as broody and, well, weird as John.

"Yes, Pogue! I am serious!" She clenched her teeth.

"Why?" Pogue asked, mystified, but keeping pace effortlessly.

"He was different then. Sweet." She muttered something under her breath that Pogue almost didn't catch.

"What?" He asked, watching her face shrewdly. She came to a complete stop with a sigh.

"He was different before we broke him." And with that she started walking again, leaving Pogue standing in the cold, trying to decipher what she had said. He caught up in a second, as they finally reached her building, a confused look marring his perfect features.

"You… 'broke him?'" He asked, aware of her discomfort yet unable to stop asking. He had to know.

"We broke him. She broke his heart and he never recovered, but I broke the rest of him. I told him no." Her eyes flashed and her voice took on an edge. "That's it."

"Alright, alright." Pogue held his hands up innocently, finally gaining control over his mouth and backing off.

Corrie let out a sigh and relaxed from the defensive position she had subconsciously fallen into and leaned against the brick building.

"I'm being a bitch, aren't I." Her voice sounded tired, completely exhausted. "I'm so sorry. You've been so great today, and I'm being a huge bitch. I don't mean to be. I just-" She rubbed a hand over her face tiredly before letting her hand fall to her side, "I'm just worried."

"Hey, it's me." He brought her chin up with his index finger. "You don't have to be sorry."

The intimate gesture was interrupted almost immediately by the door next to them opening as a pretty blonde girl stepped daintily out of the building, hands full with a giant bag of Starbucks bagels. She came to an abrupt stop as she spotted the couple.

"Pogue." She pushed back the sleeves of Caleb's bulky letterman jacket, looking at them rather than at the couple and trying (unsuccessfully) to hide her shock.

"Sarah… how've you been?" Pogue asked awkwardly, taking a step away from Corrie and dropping his hand to the pouch of his hoodie.

"I'm…I'm fine." Sarah nodded her head a few times, relieving the tension by offering him a small smile. "Um, Kate called me last night."

Corrie watched Pogue's face as Sarah spoke. He looked like he had just been kicked in the face at his girlfriend's name. At his look, Corrie immediately started tuning Sarah out. Guilt flowed through her, flooding her veins. Here she was with Pogue, letting him carry her, having him _kiss_ her, when he actually has a girlfriend.

She was so busy feeling guilty, she didn't even hear Sarah suggest to Pogue that he could drop by and pick up his stuff whenever he was ready.

She did notice when they both stopped speaking, though, and returned to the conversation to see Sarah shooting Pogue a look and letting her eyes dart to Corrie.

"Oh, uh, Sarah. This is Corrie. Corrie, Sarah. Caleb's girlfriend." Pogue introduced them.

"We have Lit together." Corrie pointed out, remembering seeing the girl's face from the other side of the room during lecture.

"Yeah. Professor Hayne, fourth period." Sarah gave her a soft smile, which Corrie returned. "But I am, as Pogu-ie pointed out, Caleb's girlfriend. And I am, unfortunately, late with his breakfast. It was nice meeting you, Corrie." Sarah excused herself quickly before shooting Pogue a look and darting off toward the pool, leaving the couple alone. They avoided looking in each other's eyes in the short, awkward silence that followed Sarah's departure. Corrie broke it, sliding her ID card through the scanner and pulling open the door.

"Hey, Romeo, thanks. I can take it from here."

"At least let me walk you to your room." Pogue asked, looking morose.

"Are you alright? You look a little…"

"Yeah… just stuff with Kate…"

"Are she and Sarah friends?" Corrie asked carefully as he held open the door for her.

"Roommates. Sarah and Caleb, me and…" He trailed off, sounding unusually glum.

"You know, you don't have to walk me up if it'll upset Kate." She said timidly as she led him up to her and Betsy's room. She felt him stiffen at her question.

"Kate…knows." She heard the strain in his voice and dropped the issue, instead opting to unlock her door, not realizing the deeper meaning to his words.

"Here we are…" Corrie trailed off after a short silence as she opened the door. "Do you…want to come in?"

"Nah, I'll just wait out here a while. Chat up some girls next door." He attempted humor, and she appreciated it.

"Come on in." She stepped in, kicking Betsy's stray bras under the bed. He scanned the room, taking in all the Corrie-isms, like the Chinese symbols on the walls and the stuffed dinosaur he'd given her for some reason or other. He studied the collages of pictures (mostly of Corry, Betsy, and Becky) and the corkboard covered in girly thumb tacks, sketches, and newspaper articles. He couldn't help but smile as he took in the obvious Betsy-isms, like the stacks of books, precariously piled on a messy desk with a keyboard and monitor resting amid papers, swimming goggles, lotions, and half-full water bottles. The girl made the kid from "Signs" look normal with the whole half-full water thing.

"By the way, thanks for going with it back there." Corrie said quietly, staring at her bed and drawing designs on the black comforter with her finger. She suppressed a shiver at the thought of John staring at her.

"No problem. She'll probably say something to Caleb, though…" He trailed off in thought, imagining Sarah sharing what she had seen with Caleb as he and the guys ate Pogue's share of the bagels. His stomach grumbled in protest.

"Are you-" He started asking at the same time Corrie opened her mouth. "I-"

"Go ahead." Pogue, ever the gentleman.

"I meant with John."

"Not complaining." He remembered the momentary taste of her lips. "You'll tell me if he ever does anything you don't like and I'll take care of you – it, I'll take care of it- alright?"

"Pogue, you don't have to–" For the second time that morning, she made the mistake of looking him in the eye.

"Yeah, I do." He reached out to her, cupping her neck in his palm, leaning in, the memory of how she tasted the only thing present in his mind.

That is, until the annoying beep of Corrie's 5:30 AM alarm going off made both of them jump about a foot in the air. She pulled away softly, finally breaking eye contact with him by turning and focusing on turning off the alarm, then on finding her uniform.

She felt him sink down on her bed, but was caught completely by surprise when she heard a soft snore (and believe you me, she was used to hearing snoring, what with rooming with Betsy). She glanced over and couldn't help smiling at his innocence in sleep. Poor guy was completely worn out. She reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, feeling an unfamiliar stirring in the pit of her stomach. She pulled her comforter over him as he shivered, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

She shook her head to clear it and grabbed her uniform, making her way to the bathroom to change as Pogue slept soundly on her bed.

Unfortunately for Pogue, she temporarily forgot about her, Becky, and Betsy's morning practice day tradition.

"CORRIE! GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!" Becky's scream came clearly through the wooden door, drowning out the sound of her key turning in the lock. Pogue shot up in bed, eyes glazed over with a ring of fire that was quickly extinguished as Becky burst in, still in the pair of old sweat pants and a "Spenser Soccer" t-shirt she had slept it. "COR, GET- oh." She blinked at Pogue and his mussed hair until her attention was drawn to Corrie coming out of the bathroom, buttoning up her white dress shirt. "WOAH!"

"Oh, Becks…" Corrie closed her eyes in dread as she realized what they must look like. Becky stared at them a few extra seconds with a goofy grin on her face before bolting, slamming the door behind her.

"Wha-?" Pogue asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"It's a morning practice tradition. On the days Betsy isn't here to wake me up and make sure I get out of bed, Becky comes over and gets me going."

"Can _I_ get you going today?" The innuendo slipped out before he even realized it. _I've been spending too much time around Reid_ Pogue decided, expecting another awkward silence.

She surprised him when she laughed.

"That's what she said!" She crowed, chuckling. He chuckled too, stretching as he got up from the bed.

"Let me take you to breakfast. To make up for ruining your tradition." He suggested, hearing his stomach growl again.

"How about this: I buy _you_ breakfast for saving me from two men I _really_ didn't want to talk to." She suggested, pulling on one of her knee-high regulation dress socks.

"Uh, what?" He asked, mesmerized by the unintentional sensuality she exuded as she pulled on another sock. She smiled at his response.

"I'm hungry, you're obviously hungry. Let's go to breakfast. We'll work out details later." She pulled on her shoes, looking at him expectantly. "Don't you need your uniform?"

"We can stop by my place after breakfast." He would just Use to get it from his pool locker. No big deal.

"Isn't your uniform in your locker at the pool?" She asked, as if she had read his mind.

"I have another set of school clothes at home." He lied smoothly. His other set of school clothes were at Caleb's, which was only a few miles from the school and had been more of a home to him than the apartment ever would be. "Come on."

"Okay. Just let me tell Becks where we're going, so she doesn't worry." She slipped out of the room, pulling on her letterman jacket, and into the one next door.

Pogue heard a few excited squeals and the slamming of a door before she returned, her face flushed crimson.

"Okay. Let's go." She said, rushed. At his look, she elaborated. "She's very…" Corrie trailed off.

"Worried?" Corrie flushed again. She hadn't even brought up Betsy and her accident.

"No. Excited." He gave her a blank look. "After John, I didn't have any guy friends. And I've missed that. The having guy friends. She's happy to see me happy." She explained, stuffing her phone into a purse and wrapping a scarf around her neck. "Ready?"

"Yeah." He held the door open for her and waited as she locked it before guiding her down to the parking lot outside the pool.

She almost missed when he tossed his extra helmet to her.

"You're joking." She said flatly, looking from the helmet to Pogue to the Ducati to the snow surrounding them.

"C'mon, Cor. Don't you trust me?" His eyes burned into hers.

"That's not fair, using _Aladdin_ against me." She pointed out. "You know it's my favorite Disney movie of all time."

"Come on, Cor. Just put the helmet on, wrap your arms around my sexy body, and we're half way to waffle land."

"B-but won't you be cold?" She asked nervously.

"Nope. We'll grab my jacket at Caleb's."

"Caleb's? I thought we were going to breakfast."

"My stuff's at Caleb's." He sat down on the seat, helmet in his lap. "What can I do to convince you?"

"Um…" She trailed off, uncomfortable with the thought of riding on a motorcycle in the middle of winter, much less wrapped around Pogue Parry, who, she had realized in the last hour, she may be falling in like with and who also was in, if rumor was to be trusted, a pretty serious relationship with New York heiress Kate Tunney.

"What if we took Tyler's Hummer?" He suggested, shrugging to show his indifference.

"Yeah. Can we? Would it be okay?" She admitted, making a mental reminder to never tell Betsy about turning down a ride on the Ducati.

"Sure. Anything." Pogue promised, taking both helmets and stowing them in the seat before Using to make Tyler's keys appear in his hoodie pocket. "Let's go."

* * *

Sorry it's short. Please review anyway. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. And now Emmett (although he is based on Emmett from Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer)

This chapter is dedicated to Audrey Woods. Girl, you keep me going! I know it hurts right now, and things aren't going great, AND we have finals (bleh), but hang in there! You're our rock! Look forward to Saturday! Practice the patented Sexy Dance! Print off more ridiculous Shoe-Box-isms!

And never forget...

"We've offended the heavens! Aren't you the least bit excited?"

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Becks, slow down. So you saw them in our room – together – and he was in her bed and she was buttoning up her shirt? HOLY MOLY!" Betsy screeched into the phone. Ryan winced.

"I KNOW!" Becky whisper-screamed into the phone. "You should have been there!"

"Yeah, I know. Sucks being in an ambulance. I mean, I kinda always thought it'd be cool, but-"

"What? You're in an ambulance?" Becky asked, panicking.

"Corry tackled me and I broke my leg. Ryan's with me and we're on our way to the hospital. It's no big deal. Cor was supposed to call me off practice and tell my parents, but I have no idea if she's done either. Hey, do you know what she was doing with John?" Betsy questioned, changing the subject and repositioning her leg with a wince.

"She was with John? That's news to me… but Ryan's with you? Did he sweep you off your feet and carry you down to the nurse's office, all heroic and manly and sexy?" Becky asked playfully, slightly calming down from her worry about the ambulance.

"As a matter of fact, he did." Betsy admitted, blushing and stealing a glance at Ryan, only to see his deep brown eyes focused on hers. Blushing further, she bit her lip and looked away.

"Oh, my God! You two are _meant_ for each other!" Becky moaned into the phone, feeling her friend's grief at their lack of relationship.

"Don't I know it." Betsy muttered before again changing the subject. "So where is Corrie now?"

"At breakfast with her baby daddy." Becky responded casually.

"They've only got, like, five minutes till the bell rings. Mama D's gonna kill Cor if she's late." Betsy predicted.

"You're not wrong. If Cor's anything like her mom when she has kids, they're going to have 'academic integrity' coming out their-"

"BECKY! I swear, I am a horrible influence on you."

"Yeah, you probably are." Becky agreed, hearing the bell ring signaling the beginning of the school day. She stood from where she had been leaning against her locker, talking on her cell phone (loudly), and scurried to class, scanning the heavily-populated halls for the familiar face of her artistic best friend.

She entered their classroom alone with a sigh.

Mama D was going to kill Corrie.

* * *

MEANWHILE 

"Oh, my God! That was fantastic." Corrie moaned.

"We're not done yet." Pogue promised, smirking at her cockily.

"Better than that?" Corrie asked incredulously, licking her sticky lips.

"You haven't even had Reid's favorite yet. He's our resident specialist."

"Why does that not surprise me?" At Pogue's look, she elaborated. "I mean, he has to do _something_ after he leaves all those girls alone in bed in the mornings. Why not come here and become a breakfast connoisseur?"

Pogue smiled and continued shoveling in French toast and scrambled eggs, unable to find flaw in her logic.

Corrie smiled in response. Taking the last bite of her strawberry whip cream-covered pancakes, she took the first short lull in conversation which, to this point, had been constant and relaxed, without an awkward or dull moment, to take in their surroundings.

They were seated in a tiny, out-of-the-way, Mom and Pop Bed and Breakfast a few minutes away from the school in the tiny village between Spenser and Old Ipswich, where the Sons and other old money families lived in their sprawling mansions and utter decadence, and on the complete opposite side of the Ipswich suburbs, where the three heroines of this story were born and raised.

The Bed and Breakfast was the kind of place that was so small you wouldn't think twice about it, but they seemed to have enough local business to keep the elderly couple running it comfortable. They had greeted Pogue by name and had seated the couple at the only booth available in the semi-crowded restaurant. A few of the patrons had also greeted Pogue, asking about his parent and the other Sons. He had responded positively, stopping to chat with each of the old men who asked about his father and the young-ish waitress who asked about Reid.

"So, what is it?" Corrie asked as Pogue finished his food and moved to take a swig from his Orange Juice.

"Hmm?" He asked, pulling the towering glass of OJ closer and trying to hide the way her voice had caused him to loose his thirst.

"What's his favorite?" Corrie asked, continuing their earlier conversation, curious to hear what Spenser's own bad boy's guilty pleasure was. (Well, his _other_ guilty pleasure.)

"Sugar-coated French Toast covered in truffles, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and some sugary berry blend with Peach schnapps and apple pie a la mode."

"Oh, my God. He eats that when you're in season? And he doesn't puke it up?" She asked as if doubting his sanity to even suggest it.

"We Sons of Ipswich have strong stomachs." He added in a superior tone, and she could practically hear Betsy's voice in her ear adding _among other things..._ "Among other things..." He added, as if reading her thoughts. She blushed and started looking around for a distraction. Her eyes landed on her cell phone, which sat on the table next to her empty plate.

"Pogue," She asked, starting to panic, "What time do you have?"

"Uh, seven...oh...six." He replied casually, completely at ease with the fact that their first period class started 6 minutes prior and they had yet to pay their bill or hit Caleb's to pick up his uniform.

"We're late." Corrie pointed out, hoping to spur him into action. He shrugged indifferently. "Please, Romeo? If I miss first period, my mom will _kill_ me."

"Your best friend is in the hospital and they are going to care if you miss your first class?" He pointed out, giving her the perfect excuse.

She barely relaxed.

"Yeah, but..."

Seeing her agitation, he swung his long legs out of the booth and stood. With a nod to Agnes, the Mom of the Mom and Pops, he started for the door.

"We have to pay..." Corrie pointed out as she pulled on her letterman jacket and scarf, grabbing her jacket and pulling her wallet out of her purse.

"It's on the house, honey," Agnes assured her in a conspiratorial whisper. "Any girl one of the boys thinks is good enough to bring here, and any one as pretty as you, deserves a free breakfast at the least." She confided. Corrie blushed again and was still blushing as she thanked the woman and followed Pogue, who was rolling his eyes at the two of them and holding the door for Corrie, out to the Hummer.

"Okay, I can take it. What did she say to you." Pogue asked as they climbed into the huge vehicle.

"Nothing. Just that breakfast was on the house." Corrie said innocently, concentrating more than she should have to on clicking her seatbelt on. She was concentrating so hard, she didn't notice the knuckles tapping harshly on her window.

She jumped, a hand on her heart, only to relax into a weary acceptance. She rolled down her window, but didn't move to unbuckle herself or leave the Hummer.

"What, Emmett." She asked tiredly of the hulking guy glaring at her and the long-haired guy he vaguely recognized from his years at Spenser.

"What are you doing here, Cor? And who is this?" The guy asked confrontationally, ignoring Pogue completely but for the flicks of his intelligent eyes to the leaner, younger guy.

"Emmett, I was eating breakfast. With a friend." She said flatly.

Emmett's gaze flicked to Pogue, and his brow creased in a frown. Pogue met his gaze, taking in the impressive physique hidden under an expensive suit. The guy was maybe 22 years old maximum, with short, professional-looking light brown hair and a square jaw. He was tall, easily over six foot.

"Cor, I'm telling Mom and you are going to be in truuu-ble." The guy threatened, mischief and concern mixing in his brown eyes, so like his little sister's, who was sitting next to Romeo and looking annoyed. Pogue could see it immediately, as soon as the word 'mom' was out there. How they had the same eyes, the same hair color. The same spunk.

"C'mon, Em, please?" Corrie started begging. "Bets is in the hospital!"

She fell back on Pogue's excuse immediately. The effect of her words was instantaneous.

"Why? What's wrong with her?" Emmett asked swiftly, eyes clouded over in concern for the girl who had become another sister to him.

"Broke her leg. Again. And this time it wasn't your fault." She teased, seeing his look of alarm which, at her words, turned into defensiveness.

"Hey, that was _not_ my fault. Ask her yourself. She tripped up those steps–"

"And her mom wouldn't let her over to our house for a year." Corrie recited with him. "Look, Emmett, I'm already late. Don't tell Mom, and I'll make it up to you." She promised.

"Just tell me which hospital they're taking Bets to." He said with a resigned sigh.

"Mercy. Thanks, Em. You're the most wonderful brother ever." He gave her a crinkly-eyed smile then turned his gaze to Pogue, who had been silently watching the siblings interact with the Hummer on, heat turned all the way up. His smile immediately turned into a glare and his voice dropped an octave lower.

"We're not done here, ..." He trailed off, waiting for a name, eyes cold as he sized up the guy his little sister was skipping class with.

"Pogue Parry." Pogue responded, holding his hand out to shake and trying to keep cool under Emmett's withering glare.

Emmett slipped his hand into the car with surprising grace for a guy as large as him and briefly squeezed Pogue's hand with enough force to shatter some bones with anyone but a Son of Ipswich. Pogue just squeezed back.

"Emmett Black, Attorney-at-Law."

"Em, you're still an undergrad." Corrie pointed out flatly.

"I still know the law. Any loopholes one has to go through to get out of pretty much anything, like taking care of his sister. How bout you remember that, Mr. Parry." Emmett suggested before ruffling Corrie's hair with an abrupt change in character, leaving the two of them to head back to school, now even later than they were.

Mama D was going to double kill Corrie.

* * *

Okay, so thoughts? Comments? Confusion? I will do my best to allieviate the third option, and will hope for many of the first and second! 

**R & R**


	11. Chapter 11

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. And Coach Mike. And Katie. And Holly. And Emmett (although he's based on Emmett from Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse by the goddess herself, Stephenie Meyer). And Agnes. And Pop (who I'm thinking may be named Don, but I haven't quite decided yet).

But other than that, it's all Covenant.

This story is going to be dedicated to my best friends, Corrie J and Audrey Woods, as a thank-you for my birthday present of a new keyboard! And, of course the pudding and Build-A-Bear (Caleb! He's _so_ cute!). And the sleepover, decorations (mostly of Taylor Kitch and Steven Strait), and Buffy comic omnibus! You guys are my bestests forever!

* * *

CHAPTER 11

"So. That was your brother." Pogue stated as they pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the school.

"Yep. Emmett. Sorry he was so 'grrr.' He gets overprotective sometimes." Corrie said, running a hand through her hair.

"I'll have to call him later. He's been hanging around this part of town lately, trying to make friends with people in high places." She explained. "But he'll probably tell our mom I was skipping and I'll be grounded. Again."

Pogue shot her a look. "Your mom grounds you? And you live at school?"

"She makes me come home and live there for a week or so. And I have to find a ride to school every morning, and if I can't find a ride home after she comes and picks me up in her minivan. With my thirteen-year-old sister in tow." Corrie admitted, cringing at the thought of the next week of her life.

"But was it worth it?" Pogue asked with false bravado, staring at the road ahead and not daring to look at her face as he asked.

"Yes." Her voice was sure, and held no regret or hesitation.

"Good. Then you've got yourself a ride next week." He smiled, finally working up enough courage to look her in the eye. They shared a smile, and soon enough they were pulling into the school parking lot.

"What about swim–" Corrie started, but he shot her an easy smile, sweeping the thought from her mind.

"I don't want to get you into any more trouble. Don't worry about it. Thanks for going out to breakfast with me, Cor." His eyes burned with sincerity.

"My pleasure." Her return smile was even brighter, grateful to him for bringing her back in time for second period. He turned the car off and they both climbed out, small smiles on their faces. Corrie opened her mouth to thank him again but was interrupted by the trilling of her cell phone. With an apologetic smile, she dug it out of her purse and flipped it open. She groaned and hit the 'send' button.

"Hi, Mom."

"_Corrie, darling, why did the school just call me and ask me if you're ill? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"_ Her mother's voice filled her ear, sharp as a tack.

"Mom, I'm only a few minutes late, which isn't my fault! Bets had another accident and I was helping out."

"_Uh-huh."_ Dora Black said sarcastically.

"Look, Mom, I have to go-"

"_Why? Who are you with?"_

"What makes you think I'm with anyone?"

"_Corrie, don't lie to me. I'm your mother. I know all."_

"Ugh. Fine. Pogue Parry. Swim team captain. We had Art together. Happy?"

"_This is the really, really hot one who you were so in like with? I thought he was spoken for."_ Mama D asked, making it sound like a statement rather than a question.

"He was. Is. We just went out to breakfast. I'm going to class now. Love you." Corrie rushed out, hoping to end the conversation before she could be grounded.

"_Well, I hope you had fun. Tell the girls I said hi. Keep me updated on Bets's condition."_

"That's it?" Corrie asked, amazed. "'Hope you had fun?'"

"_Think of it as a freebee. But screw up again, and you're home."_ Mama D promised, trying not to show how pleased she was to hear Corrie was hanging out with Pogue again. She'd always liked the guy, and if she knew her daughter, Corrie liked him, too. A lot.

"I won't. Thank you, Mama. I love you."

"_Love you, too. Get to class Cor-bear."_

"'Kay. Bye, Mom."

"_Bye"_

She closed her phone with a stunned look on her face. She tucked the tiny piece of technology into her purse again, and started walking toward the school, barely realizing that Pogue had rejoined her, after slipping away for a moment when she was on the phone, clothes magically changed to his uniform.

"You okay, Cor?" He asked as he held the main doors open for her. She blinked a few times before realizing it was Pogue standing in front of her.

"Oh. Yeah. I just...I got off scotch-free." She said in wonder, staring into his hazel eyes. Something flickered between them, but before either of them could act on the moment it was gone, interrupted by the bell signaling the end of first period.

Without a word to each other they immediately entered the school, blending perfectly in with the other sleepy faces of their classmates as the halls filled. With a final look at each other, they split up, him heading toward his locker and a Caleb interrogation of epic proportions, her toward her locker and second period without her lab partner/best friend.

* * *

"Ryan, do you think they have condoms in here?"

Ryan's just smirked at Betsy's question. "Why would you ask _that_?" He asked, voice thick with playful implications. They sat by themselves in the back of the ambulance at the emergency room, waiting for their EMT to bring the wheelchair he'd left to go find five minutes ago.

"I'm just wondering. It's a medical vehicle-thingie. I'd think they'd have them for, you know, emergencies." She reasoned, loving their playful banter.

"What, people with uncontrollable urges? Can't stop long enough for the ride to the hospital?" Betsy giggled at him, her laughter contagious, and soon he was chuckling, too.

"Yeah! They have to exist, don't they? Can't you just see, like, Reid Garwin in here? He'd have Nurse Naughty all tied up with IV tubes and would be getting all kinky back here on the stretcher!"

"What, these?" Ryan asked, pulling open a drawer and pulling out a long, clear medical tube and wrapping them around her wrists with a sardonic smile. She giggled more, trying to ignore the way her heart ached with his touch.

"I prefer handcuffs, myself." She joked, just as the EMT returned with the wheelchair. The EMT gave the now-blushing girl a weird look as Ryan released her wrists from the tubes. The EMT shrugged, and started helping Betsy into the wheelchair and wheeling her in, leaving Ryan to follow into the waiting room, neither of them noticing his eyes flash black, smile gone.

* * *

"Man, what are you doing? I felt you Using all first period." Caleb asked, expression unusually hard as he spoke quietly to his best friend.

"Just taking care of some stuff. It's all good." Pogue brushed it off, avoiding Caleb's questioning gaze. The older boy's look softened.

"Hey, I know you miss Kate and everything, but you have to control it." He warned. The huge breakfast with Corrie turned to lead in Pogue's stomach as he remembered Kate.

"Yeah, I know." Pogue said tiredly as he stood, Period 2 books in his arms. "It's just..." He trailed off as he saw her, gliding through the hall, rolling her eyes at something Becky said. For half a second, their eyes met, and a tiny little half smile graced her lips before her eyes widened and she turned to look at Becky, stopping dead in her tracks in the middle of the hallway and looking completely shocked and blushing a dark red.

"Pogue...hey, man, you okay?" Caleb asked, worry etched on his handsome face. Pogue gave him a dazed smile before turning his attention to the girls walking past, giving him a friendly wink. That girl had him bewitched.

"Yeah. I am."

* * *

**R&R**


	12. Chapter 12

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. And Coach Mike. And Katie. And Holly. And Emmett (although he's based on Emmett from Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse by the goddess herself, Stephenie Meyer). And Agnes. And Pop (who I'm thinking may be named Don, but I haven't quite decided yet).

But other than that, it's all Covenant.

A/N:

Lucky, lucky readers! Two updates in as many days! This one is kinda short, but I wanted to post something more to make up for my kinda long hiatus. Also, I wanted to add that I have a new poll up, this one concerning Becky. It's on my profile page, so please go vote (on up to 2 choices). I'm curious to see how my readers vote...

* * *

CHAPTER 12: 

Corrie spent another day with her head in the clouds, only periodically brought back down to Earth by texts from Betsy informing her on the status of her leg. By three, Betsy was at their dorm room, leg securely encased in a thick plaster cast, waiting for Corrie to get back with her homework for the day. Ryan had left for work at Starbucks ten minutes earlier, leaving her with strict instructions to call him if she needed anything at all.

The taller girl dropped the books off quickly, leaving Becky to look after Betsy before sprinting to lacrosse practice, where she was pegged by more than a few hard rubber balls due to her inattention.

By the time she dragged her battered body back up to their room, Betsy was asleep and Becks was watching Oprah and taking notes on how to pleasure a man properly.

"Becks, what in God's name are you doing." Corrie whispered, taking in the ink stain on the other girl's pinky and the intent look on her face as she adjusted her glasses higher on her face.

"Oprah's having a special on sex toys. Shh, I'm missing it." Becky admonished, eyes never leaving Betsy and Corrie's 12" black and white television screen.

"Why do you need to know about sex toys?" Corrie whispered sarcastically.

"Hmah? Sex toys? Pogue? Wait, what? Cor? Sex toys with Pogue?" Betsy asked, cracking open an eye and muffling a yawn with a sleepy smile.

"Nope. Becks."

"Oh. That's less fun."

"HEY! I'll have you know, I am very kinky in bed and very good with sex toys. Sex in general, actually." Becky said proudly.

"Yeah, and that's why you're taking notes. Because you're a pro." Betsy quipped, swinging her leg out of bed and lugging the other to the floor. "I've gotta pee."

Seeing their blank looks, she elaborated. "Kinda need help. Full leg cast and everything. Should take about 6 weeks to heal." She explained slowly. At their looks of horror, she started laughing. "Gotcha. I seriously have to pee, though. So I'm gonna go take care of that. Which I can do alone. For the record." And she hobbled out of the room and into their half-bath on her new crutches, still chucking at the looks on their faces.

A beat passed as Corrie dropped her stick and goggles on the floor, not caring that it splattered mud all over the wooden floor.

"So what's up? Anything changed since school?" Becky asked, setting her notebook down as a commercial came on.

"Nothin'. What about you? Anything exciting happen?" Corrie asked, pulling her letterman jacket and sweaty tee shirt off.

"I gave birth to a pterodactyl."

"Who's the father?" Corrie asked easily, playing along.

"Reid Garwin." Becky answered just as easily, a small, secretive smile on her face.

"Hmm. Good." Corrie murmured distractedly, gazing at the charcoal drawing above her bed. "I'm gonna head to the library. Don't wait up, 'kay?" She asked, pulling a fresh tee shirt and hoodie on over her work out shorts and grabbing the sketch book Becky had given her for her last birthday, along with a fistful of soft-lead pencils, a bottle of water, and a Power Bar before slipping off to the quiet musk of the school's ancient library.

"Mm-kay. I have, uh, Lit homework to do, too, so I'll be busy. All night. Later, Bets!" Becky excused herself, glancing at the clock and closing her notebook.

"Bye!" Betsy called from the bathroom before hobbling out, toothbrush sticking out of her foamy mouth. "Awl be wover laider to talk about the Wit homwurk." She mumbled around the brush. Becks froze like a deer in the headlights, hand on the door handle.

"I'll just let you copy. I'll drop it off, um, later." She promised, closing the door softly, moving to her own dorm.

Betsy finished brushing her teeth alone before returning to the dorm room and seeing the stack of books a foot high from her numerous AP classes. She hobbled to her desk, booting up her computer with a sigh. Even with help from Becky, tonight was going to be a looong night.

* * *

The library was dark when Corrie slipped in through the old double doors, breathing in the musky air and marveling at the sheer size of the room. From floor to ceiling, books lined the ancient, dark wood shelves, most of them old and brittle, with yellowing pages whose only purpose for years having been to sit on the shelf and collect dust. She moved silently through the stacks, making her way to a dark, out of the way corner with a beanbag tossed down. Dull moonlight filtered through the dust motes in the air, shining in through a tiny, warped window. The beanbag was well-used to the point where it almost blended in with its drab surroundings, and slightly limp from bean-loss, but comfortable nonetheless, and the teen sunk into it quietly, feeling it mould itself to fit the shape of her body as the light landed on her hands holding the sketchbook loosely in her lap.

Tearing the Power Bar open with her teeth, she took a huge bite, followed with a swig of water. Then she just sat, looking and reminiscing. She had been coming here to this corner of the library since freshman year, when the Art 1 teacher had led them in here to draw a still-life of stacks of books.

She and Pogue had ended up back in this corner, shielded from the view of their classmates and teacher by two very thick, very conveniently placed book shelves. It had been here that he had drawn her hands, in a few long strokes, before pressing kissed to the palms of both of them. She smiled at the memory. He had always had a flair for the dramatic, the romantic, even as a freshman boy.

Of course, it was moments later that a certain dark goddess had stumbled into their little corner of the library, blushing and apologizing for getting so thoroughly lost and disturbing them. That had been the first time she had ever seen or spoken to Kate Tunney.

A frown crept across Corrie's face as she remembered how Kate's eyes had watched Pogue, the obvious crush she had on him, even after what she had just witnessed between him and Corrie. Corrie rubbed her arms to ward off the sadness and unwarranted jealousy before taking another bite of her dinner and flipping open the sketch book to a blank, creamy page. She ran her fingers over the thick paper, feeling the texture, before selecting a meticulously sharpened pencil and pressing it lightly to the paper, not even knowing what she was drawing.

She often snuck down to the library at night when she was feeling upset or confused, and just drew. It helped to clear her head and give her something tangible to focus on.

In moments, she realized what the gray lines on her pad were morphing into, but found herself helpless to stop it. His nose came into being first, then his brows and those lips she had trouble concentrating around, curved up in the smile she had only seen when he was looking at her. His forehead and jaw followed, then the infamous hair, slightly mussed, like he'd just woken up. She drew the beginnings of his shoulders from her memory of him that morning, and finally his eyes.

She was just putting the finishing touches on his eyelashes when her phone started vibrating, making her jump and nearly ruin the painstaking portrait.

"What?" She hissed, her voice low and hoarse from lack of use.

"Cor, it's midnight. Becks hasn't dropped off her homework yet and they're locking us in for the night. Come keep me awake until she can sneak over." Betsy commanded sleepily, although the sound of keys being tapped on her end of the phone never slowed. Corrie gasped. It couldn't be that late! Lacrosse had ended at 6:30 and she'd left her room around 7:30...

A glance down at the watch on her wrist confirmed what her friend's claims. She scrambled up, flipping her phone closed without another word and shoving it, along with the half-finished protein bar, into her hoodie pocket, followed by the water bottle and now-dull pencils, sparing one final look at the drawing before closing the book and scrambling up and out from behind the stacks, moving quickly and quietly toward her and Betsy's room, never noticing the silent predator watching her from the balcony, eyes black as the night surrounding them

* * *

**R&R** if you want another chapter. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. And Coach Mike. And Katie. And Holly. And Emmett (although he's based on Emmett from Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse by the goddess herself, Stephenie Meyer). And Agnes. And Pop (who I'm thinking may be named Don, but I haven't quite decided yet).

But other than that, it's all Covenant.

CHAPTER 13:

It was three in the morning when Becky woke her slumbering best friend, shaking Betsy gently awake and handing her three pages of neatly completed Lit homework before crawling back out thethird story window and creeping along the ledge to her own room, being careful not to wake her roommate. Betsy copied it quickly, and was asleep again by four.

Corrie slept through it.

The next morning, a half hour before school started, the girls were startled to hear a knock on their door, and even more surprised when Corrie opened it to reveal a sheepish Pogue Parry, self-consciously running a hand through his wet hair.

"Uh, hey. Just though I'd stop by, see if you needed any help." He asked, gazing at Betsy's bulky cast in between glances at Corrie.

"Help would be _great_," Betsy admitted with feeling, "I was _so_ scared about those stairs..."

Pogue shot her a smile and stepped into the room, past a smiling Corrie.

"I'll only help you down them on one condition." He grumbled playfully.

"What's that?" Betsy asked, charmed.

"Only if I get to sign your cast." His smile made his eyes crinkle, and Betsy giggled.

"Well, that was a given."

Corrie smiled to see them getting along so well. At least Betsy hadn't said anything too embarrass-

"Or you could sign Corrie somewhere..." Her friend trailed off suggestively, but Pogue just laughed. Innuendos and the swim team kind of went hand in hand.

"I'll grab ya a marker." Corrie offered, rummaging around Betsy's messy desk for a thick black Sharpie.

"Jeez, couldn't a gotten a bigger one, could ya?" Betsy's comment brought her blush, which had been beginning to fade, back in force.

Pogue caught the marker Corrie threw at him with ease, uncapping it with his teeth and kneeling at Betsy's feet, focused on the virgin white plaster. Corrie watched, leaning against the desk and admiring him from behind.

"Ten minutes and counting!" a panicked Becks called, barging into the room while tying the tie her tie. "Oh, my God! Can't I come in here without one of you having sex with him?!" She asked, seeing Pogue on his knees before Betsy and assuming the worst. She promptly turned on her heel and was storming back to her room, blushing and covering her eyes when Corrie reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

"Becks, Becks, Becks! Stop! Maybe if you actually talked to him you'd stop having such, er, _interesting_ run-ins with him!" Becky blanched and looked immediately guilty, looking at the floor with the utmost interest. Corrie filed her reaction away for a later time; it was not like Becks to look guilty about something relating to Pogue. Next to Betsy, she was the number one cheerleader got Corrie getting together with him. There had to be a story there.

"Wur-fect." Pogue declared around the marker cap, putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece. Betsy looked down, squealing like a little girl.

"Oh, Pogue! It's _perfect_! I _love_ it!" On her thigh was a perfect, if crude, portrait of a guy with dark hair smiling up at her. "Oh, Pogue, how'd you know about Chris?"

"Oh, God." Becky and Corrie moaned simultaneously. "Not Chris Brook...please no." Corrie begged. "It's not healthy for her. She gets all drool-y..."

"And we have to listen to her expound upon how perfect they are for each other." Becky added, half disgusted, half amused.

"Well we ARE!" Betsy pointed out. Pogue watched them, his head swiveling from Corrie and Becks to Betsy from his spot on the floor between the group. "And Pogue obviously realizes that, since he knows they guy and- OHMYGOD. You know him. Did he say anything about me? Does he like me back? OhmyGod! OhmyGod!" Betsy started, pulling Pogue up to a standing position by the lapels of his jacket with surprising force.

"Bets, calm down! Don't hurt my – Pogue!" Corrie commanded, blushing at her slight verbal slip. Luckily, nobody heard her due to Betsy's extreme hysterics.

"OH MY GOD! POGUE! YOU HAVE TO SET US UP!" She commanded happily, Ryan completely gone from her thoughts at the moment.

"Okay, okay! I will if you'll calm down!" Pogue promised, laughing.

"EEK! _Three_ minutes!" Becks screeched, glancing down at her watch.

"You can go ahead. I'll carry Bets down to Gov." Pogue offered, a cocky grin on his face as Becky started running around their room like a chicken with her head cut off, looking for ballet flats she just knew Corrie had borrowed without asking.

"Thanks, but we have the same class first period, so I'll just tag along. If that's okay. If you two want to be alone, that's fine..." Corrie trailed off seriously before a grin broke through.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. We were just waiting for you two to leave to make passionate swim team love. She's my favorite partner at our swimming orgies." He responded, equally serious. He sighed in fake disappointment. "I guess... if you wanted to, there could be a Pogue sandwich."

"Light on the Pogue?"

"_The bell rings in ONE MINUTE!_" Becky's call from next door rang through the dorm, bringing the couple out of their own world and back to the present to find Becky in her own room already and Betsy sitting on her bed with her messenger bag beside her, a dreamy smile on her face.

"So, ready to go?" Pogue asked, clapping his hands together to dispel the desire to stay here with Cor and just joke around and stare into those _eyes_.

"Uh-hu." Betsy answered with a far off look. She suddenly focused back on Pogue's face with a jolt. "Sorry, what? Oh, God. What did I just agree to." She asked hesitantly

"Threesome. You. Me. Caleb." Pogue answered casually.

"WHAT?!" Betsy's eyes lit up. "There really is a God! And Christmas came early!"

Pogue blinked is suprise.

"Not really. I was kidding."

"Aw... You know how to get a girl's hopes up then dash them to a painful long death. My hopes and aspirations just took a dive off of Marblehead and were dashed to death by the surf on the jagged rocks below." Betsy pouted as Pogue tried to figure out the exceedingly long metaphor.

"Uh, sorry?"

"It's nothing. We have to go, though." Corrie pointed out, grabbing Betsy's crutches and both her and Betsy's bags and slinging them over her shoulder while Pogue scooped Betsy up, just like he had been holding her yesterday. She felt something cold slither into the pit of her stomach to see them together, but Pogue said something and Betsy burst into laughter, and the feeling disappeared, replaced by the warm, fuzzy feeling of her best friends getting along so well.

"Let's go." She said with a smile, and they set off toward school, joking and discussing homework.

* * *

The rest of the week passed in similar fashion, with Pogue helping to get Betsy in and out of the dorm before and after school, and even going so far as to bring her to swim practice on Friday so that she could talk to Coach Mike and could help coach the JV team, even if she couldn't get in the water herself.

Corrie was enjoying seeing the long haired high school sex icon more and more, and Pogue was finding it easier and easier to think of Kate and not feel completely crushed. He found himself thinking of how he would tell Corrie, how she would react. And somehow, in his imagination, she always accepted it – accepted _him_ – with a smile and another soft kiss.

He and the guys spent Saturday at a 12 hour swim meet, before which he had helped Betsy get onto the bus so she could come support the team with the other spectators, and after which he delivered her to her dorm room with a tired smile.

"Hey..." She called after him as he started walking away, her key in the door. He turned, a question in his eyes. "She's falling for you. Hard." No need to explain who. They both knew. "If you hurt her, even the tiniest bit, I will hurt you back. With interest." Betsy warned, brown eyes flashing, dead serious. Pogue gave her a nod of understanding.

"It would hurt me more if I hurt her." he admitted softly, brow furrowed.

"Good. Because I really like you. And because she's happy, and you're the reason why. Don't fuck it up." She warned sharply before turning her attention back to the door, dismissing him. He left the dorm, thoughts full of her.

* * *

On Sunday, he didn't see any of the three girls, not even to help get one of them down the stairs. He spent the entire day cooped up in his apartment with Tyler and Caleb, catching up on their undone homework as thunder and lightning flashed outside his window.

"So...what's new with you?" Tyler asked, tapping his pencil against Pogue's kitchen counter, not wanting to focus on the calculus problem glaring up at him. "Where've you been lately? I've barely seen you all week."

"Busy. Remember Corrie Black from Art freshman year?" He asked, half paying attention to what his hands were sketching in the margin of his homework and trying to understand what the poem before him meant.

"Yeah. Lacrosse girl? Didn't you used to date or somethin'? She was nice." Tyler remembered vaguely. The girl was nice, but different. In a good-ish way.

"Hmm?" Caleb asked, coming into the conversation from studying a muscle group for his an upcoming anatomy test.

"Corry Black. Ya know her?" Tyler asked before Pogue could respond. The 'quiet one' always got awfully chatty when they were supposed to be studying.

"Yeah. She's in the top 10 of our class. I've talked to her a couple times. Seems okay." Caleb gave them a calculating look. "Why?"

"Nothin'." Pogue grunted, realizing what he was drawing and erasing quickly. Not quick enough, however, to escape Tyler's notice, who ripped the paper from his friend's hands and, glancing at the drawing, started laughing. He handed the paper to a frowning Caleb, who took one look at the face and couldn't help a rueful smile.

"You've got it bad." he admitted.

"No, I don't. She just – we're just friends." Pogue shot them looks before retrieving his homework.

"Does she know about Kate?" Caleb asked, picking up on the slip-up and guessing at Corrie's motives. Judging solely on the few glimpses of the two of them together over the past few days, he could tell there had to be something, because anybody could see the chemistry between the two.

"I dunno. We've never talked about it or anything, but the whole school knows. She's got to by now." Pogue said dismissively.

"Mm-hm." Caleb muttered, unimpressed and unconvinced.

"Doesn't matter. I just broke up with Kate. I'm not looking to get involved with anybody just now." He admitted, despite the growing sense that his words were becoming less and less true with each time he said them. He hadn't been looking...but that is the time most great loves happen, as demonstrated by just about every romantic comedy ever made.

"Keep tellin' yourself that, man." Tyler clapped him on the back once, laughing, and returned to Calc. Soon the other two returned to their own work, all pondering what could be in Pogue's future with the nice girl who didn't want to date him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Found Out**

**A/N **SERIOUS plot/character development in this chapter, so be warned (please no flames!)! The quote at the end is not mine (nor is The Covenant) but is Humphrey Bogart/Rick Blaine and is from _Casablanca_, the greatest film of all time. Black & white, 1942. Betsy loves it. I love it. Hot frickin' Bobby loves it. (See Audrey Woods' **Hide and Seek**) (Genna is Betsy, Camille is Corrie, Becky is Bree, and Hot Bobby is actually based on this guy I like who I actually call Hot Bobby)

* * *

CHAPTER 14

The next week passed the same way, with Pogue stopping by every morning to help Betsy down the steps on the days Ryan didn't stop by to do the same thing. Even on those days, he stuck around and walked Corrie to class, chatting and flirting. In his spare time between classes, swimming, and homework, he started drawing again, pictures of her from memory. Some days it was just her eyes, some days her whole face, eyes crinkled in a smile and dimpling sweetly up at him from the paper. With a little Using, he could be done in seconds, and by Friday he had around ten sketches of her scattered across his counter, in various poses, in skirts, in pants, halters. He even had one he has based on a picture that had been taken at Homecoming of her, thin straps holding the tea length deep red dress up. She was radiant. There was no other word for it.

Corrie was having her share of crushing as well. From girly giggling and mani/pedis with Becks and Bets to daydreaming in class to waking up in the library after falling asleep drawing Thursday night, she had it bad.

Friday morning dawned cold and rainy, permeating the old building that housed the all-girls dorm with an inescapable gloom. Even Betsy was quiet, snuggling into the covers for an extra ten minutes of sleep.

The spell of depression was broken, however, by the arrival of Pogue Parry and Tyler Simms, who came bearing Starbucks and doughnuts to their favorite girls in rooms 308 and 306.

"You are gods among men." Betsy declared gravely, inhaling the heavenly scent of her venti caramel macchiato and biting into a Boston crème doughnut.

"Mmm-hmm." Corrie heartily agreed, eyes meeting Pogue's. Both blushed and looked away, embarrassed, which did not go unnoticed by the other three in the room, crowded around Corrie's bed where the doughnuts sat in a Krispy Kreme box, begging to be eaten. Pogue, Corrie, and Becky were crowded around, while Betsy reclined on her own bed with Tyler at her feet, trying not to get powdered sugar everywhere.

"I do _not_ miss morning practice." Betsy commented, making conversation. "What'd you work on today?" She asked.

"Starts 'n turns mostly." Tyler shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee, "Not too bad."

"How long do you have the cast on for?" Tyler asked, eying the thick plaster that had been rapidly covered with signatures of friends and teammates.

"Like four weeks. I kind of can't wait. I always kinda wanted a cast for something, but they're uber itchy." She admitted with a pained expression, "And I got a mechanical pencil stuck in there 'cause I was trying to itch."

"And you're just leaving it in there? For four more weeks, 'till they cut it off?" Tyler asked, incredulous. Betsy blushed.

"Well what am I supposed to do about it, hmm? Get something else stuck down there trying to get it out?" She challenged. Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Where is it?" He asked, and Betsy pointed to a spot halfway down her thigh.

"Hold still." he commanded, and she complied, an amused smirk on her face. Tyler slowly lifter her leg, jimmying the cast from left to right.

"Hey, watch it, Ty. I don't have a swim suit under my uniform, you know." She warned, tugging at her skirt as her leg got higher. Tyler ignored her, focused on her leg. Just as it was getting to the point where it was _really, really _uncomfortable for Betsy, the pencil slid out, poking her in the hip. Tyler lowered her leg with a smile, chucking at the awestruck look on her face.

"How did you do that?" She asked reverently, mouth open in a little 'o' of wonder.

"I grew up with Reid as my best friend. I've had my share of broken bones, and I've also had to invent ways to itch and get the itchers out when they get stuck. I'm kind of a pro." He admitted cockily.

"Well thanks. I'm glad you were here." Betsy admitted, beaming. However, the look almost immediately turned into one of confusion. "Why _are_ you here?" She asked, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"Wanted to see the girl who's got Pogue all crazy. Drawin' stuff all the time..." Tyler said loudly enough that the entire room could hear, gauging the reaction. Betsy rolled her eyes dramatically as Pogue and Corrie leaned away from each other, both clearing their throats and looking uncomfortable.

"You mean the portraits? She's been doing it too. Didn't come home Thursday 'till 5 A.M., and all she has to show for it is a drawing of his eyes. Not even rumpled clothes, crazy-sex/Pogue/Ducati-riding hair. I was dissapointed."

"Not everything's about sex, you perv." Becky came to the rescue, breaking the tension. All of them laughed at her words and at Betsy's fake offended expression, but her words still hung in the air, like an underlying theme in on of those stupid poems Mrs. Miller was always making them do for Lit.

"You know we don't think of each other like that." Corrie began the classic tirade.

"It seems your artwork disproves that theory. Take what you're sellin' somewhere else, 'cause none of us are buyin'." Betsy shot back.

"O-kay! That fulfills _my_ awkward moment quota for the day. Classes start in ten, by the way." Tyler pointed out, getting up and crumpling his empty coffee cup and tossing it in the trash before grabbing his bag and, accompanied by Becky, who was going next door to grab her books, left, leaving Pogue, Betsy, and Corrie alone in the room.

"BATHROOM!" Betsy thundered, hobbling into their tiny half bath and slamming the door shut, anxious to give the love birds some time alone.

"Sorry about her. She gets..."

"I know. You should see her at swim meets." Pogue shrugged, skirting around the lingering tension.

A beat passed.

Another.

Another.

Nothing came. What should he say? What should she say?

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend." Corrie blurted out suddenly. "I'm not looking for anything more than friendship right now. I just don't think I'd be good for anybody right now." she explained, picking at her nail polish.

"I get that. I'm not either. After Kate..." He trailed off, and his sharp eyes caught how her fingers had stopped moving and had balled themselves into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms, an 'I should have known better' look on her face.

"After she left me," He carried on, choosing his words carefully, "I realized how much I loved her," It was hard for him to admit this to her. He could see the pain in her downcast eyes, focused on her bedspread, "and how much she didn't love me." She eyes shot up to meet his, a barrage of emotions flashing through them. Incredulity that anyone wouldn't love Pogue, anger at Kate for hurting him, compassion for his pain, and hope, so well-concealed he may have just imagined it, glimmered in her eyes.

"She _left_ you?" She asked softly, hurt lacing her voice. She was hurting for him, for his pain.

"Yeah. She found out some things about me she couldn't handle, and she left." Their eyes met, and Pogue unconsciously brought his hand up to cup her face but let it drop half way there. "I wouldn't be good for anybody now, either." He whispered. It hurt him to admit, but it was almost a relief to tell her. He didn't want to hurt her, to get her hopes up. He wouldn't make her his rebound girl. He wouldn't.

"Neither of us are over them. We couldn't... not with them, with the memory..." She trailed off.

"It's not that I wouldn't." He assured her, begging her to believe him with his eyes. "It's just... not...now." He finished lamely.

"I know. Me, too. Not now, but not never." He shot her a hesitant smile, and she returned it, giving his hand a squeeze.

"_Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life_." Betsy's voice floated out of the bathroom.

Corrie just rolled her eyes and got up, giving his hand another squeeze, and got ready for school.


	15. Chapter 15

**Found Out**

A/N Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. This chapter is short but important. More soon.

* * *

CHAPTER 15:

"Okay, Ryan has a girlfriend. As in I'm not going to be a _trampista_ and date a taken guy! I'm not a cheap whore! And I've had a thing for Chris since we were thirteen." Betsy explained to Becky and Corrie at their lunch table, waving a carrot stick emphatically to prove her point.

"Uh-hu. We remember. We were there." Corrie pointed out, snagging a carrot stick to munch on.

"Ugh. I'm like the Duke to his Olivia. I just need to find my freakin' Sebastian."

"I think you're more of a Eunice." Becky commented, biting into her sandwich. Corrie and Betsy gave her identical looks of incredulity.

"Wanna run that by me again?" Betsy asked flatly, not happy being compared to the weird girl from She's the Man.

"Well, you're in love with all the guys and are really smart." Becks rationalized.

"And physically?" Betsy challenged.

"What, you're more like Duke physically?" Becky shot back calmly.

"Point to Becks." Corrie mediated.

"Bitch."

"Whore."

"Slut."

"_Trampista_."

"Dominatrix I WIN!" Betsy said, slamming her hand down on the table loudly. Heads turned, and she slunk down in her chair, justifying herself with "Squishing a spider."

Which turned out to not be far from the truth, for at that moment, a spider crept onto the table surface, skittering around and heading toward Corrie, who froze.

"Spider. Spider. SPIDER! CRAWLING TOWARDS ME!" Corrie's high pitched squeak drew attention back to their table, and this time Betsy's hand actually did come down on the hairy, creepy-crawly body, but jerked it away almost immediately.

"Ah, sonofabitch! Damn thing bit me." She glared at the tiny red mark on her hand before standing and heading toward the bathrooms. "I'm gonna go clean it off. I'll meet you eight period."

"Kay." Corrie responded, wincing at the twitching legs and splattered body.

"I actually, uh, hafta go too. Told one of the guys from my class I'd help with something." Becky said shiftily, standing with unusual awkwardness.

"Becks, what guy–" Corrie started, looking up at her friend, but broke off. Becks had already left. "And now I'm all alone." She bit her bottom lip, took a swig of water, and frowned down at her sandwich, only inches from the spider goo. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry.

She was just about to get up when a semi-familiar face pulled up a chair to her table. Caleb Danvers gave her a small smile.

"Hi, Corrie? Mind if I sit a sec?" He asked politely.

"Uh..sure." _Nice goin', Cor. Real eloquent._

They sat staring at each other for a few awkward seconds, both waiting for the other to speak.

"Was there, uh, something you needed?" She asked finally.

"Yeah..." He broke off, struggling for words. "I, uh, know you and Pogue've been getting pretty, uh, close. I just wanted to make sure you're not, ya know..." He broke off, having trouble. Guys weren't meant to do this kind of thing.

"Not what?" She asked, not quite sure where Caleb was going with this.

"He's still getting over Kate. He doesn't need more...girl stuff. And I don't want you getting attached if he does something stupid to get over her." He took in her wounded look, rapidly backtracking. "It's just, they were really close and she left, and he was all messed up, and he's really into you, but–"

"Caleb, I appreciate your concern, but Pogue and I have no intention of jumping into anything. We're just friends." Corrie saved him, glowing a little bit to hear that her infatuation wasn't just one-sided.

"Uh, good." He gave her a smile and she suddenly fully understood Betsy's life aspiration of a threesome with him and Pogue. "Cause you seem okay."

"Um, thanks." She said blushing.

"That was it. But, uh, just a suggestion, the guys and I usually head over to Nicky's on Fridays. Just, you know, if you weren't busy..."

"Are you asking me out for Pogue?" She asked with a smile, messing with him a bit.

"No. I'm just saying, if you happened to show up, Pogue would have someone to dance with – just as a friend – and would stop begging me to play foosball with him so he doesn't sit there drinking his sorrows away and I could spend five minutes on a date with Sarah." He explained.

"Ah, I see. So I would be doing _you_ a favor." Corrie pretended to think on it a second before a smile broke through. "Sure. I'll be there. Definitely."

Caleb let out a sigh of relief and shot her another smile.

"Thanks. We usually get there around nine." He said, standing.

"Kay. We'll be there." He smiled again before turning to leave and happening to glance down and see the spider goo. He visibly balked at the sight, and turned back to face her, dark eyes hiding his emotions.

"Spider?" He gestured to the goo and legs.

"Yep. Came right at me. It was highly nasty." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Yeah, I, uh, hear there's a spider problem at the school. Lemme know if you have any other ones giving you problems."

"What are you going to do about them?" Corrie asked, honestly curious.

"I'm not student council president for nothing." He reminded her with a wink, still looking a little pale. "So we'll see you tonight."

"Yep." He walked away, leaving Corrie wondering about spiders and a certain book she had read in the library a few years ago...


	16. Chapter 16

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, the girls, and the guys who don't belong in The Covenant. Other than that, it's all Covenant.

CHAPTER 16:

"Bets, I'll be up in a few. I wanna stop by the library really quick." Corrie brushed by her best friend in the hallway as the last bell of the day rang, releasing Ipswich students from school for an entire weekend. For some unforeseen reason, the lacrosse coach was unable to make it to practice so it was canceled, giving Corrie unexpected but welcome time with her girls for the first time since she'd started hanging out with Pogue again.

"Quick? If you fall asleep there again, I'll be pissed. I need somebody competent to drive me to Target. I need new sneaks." Betsy called, shoving her books roughly in her locker and draping a coat over her shoulders, following Corrie.

"I'll be there, I'll be there. Don't get your swim suit in a twist."

"I'm NOT letting Becks drive me anywhere ever again! She's spastic! She'll get me killed! Remember the time she was driving and thought it's be fun to stand up and watch through my sun roof and steer? She stepped on the gas and let go of the wheel and I had to save us from certain death!" Betsy limped after her, 'accidentally' hitting people she didn't like with her crutches.

"I remember. How could I forget! We pulled up to the house and Emmett chewed you out so bad! He thought it was you driving and you tried to get a word in edgewise and he wouldn't shut up so you just randomly leaned in and kissed him –"

"It was NOT random! We saw it in the movie we were coming home from! She just leaned in and kissed him and he shut the hell up! I thought it'd work!"

"Well you learned your lesson, didn't you?" Corrie said, laughing, as she held the library door open for her injured friend.

"Yeah. Don't make out with guys over 18 when you're 16 'cause they'll freak out and KEEP LECTURING you about it being illegal and you being his little sister's best friend and you being like a little sister to him and then, if said guy is said best friend's brother, said best friend's parents will be watching and will lecture you about both reckless driving and mackin' on their son, who will then get chewed out, and, when you finally get to defend yourself and explain that it wasn't you driving, you get the talk about insurance and not letting other people drive your car, blah, blah, blah. It has been added to the list of stupid things to not do ever again!" Betsy huffed, following Corrie through the stacks to where the four months younger girl scooped up a thin fawn brown book and moved to check it out. Betsy, armpits sore from the stupid crutches, plopped down on a nearby bean bag, sending up a cloud of dust motes. She sat quietly, taking in the books and smells around her.

Of course she noticed the thick book – the only one in the immediate vicinity not covered by years of dust – with pages sticking out. Thinking she was doing the librarians a favor, she pulled the book from the shelf and into her lap. The pages spilled out, revealing intimate drawings of a man's torso, a faceless sketch of a man's body, wearing only a dark Speedo, and finally a pair of familiar eyes. Betsy's eyes widened as she flipped through the drawings, betting rounder and rounder with each new body part.

Corrie finished checking the book out and made her way over to her corner only to find Betsy with a very familiar book in her hands, pages sprawled out and covering her lap. Corrie blanched and almost turned around, looking for somewhere to hide.

"Cor! Somebody else has a thing for your guy! Look! Oh, my God, I can't wait to tell Becky!" Betsy whispered dramatically, flipping through the drawings with a look of concern.

"NO!" Corrie shouted, earning a glare from the librarian. "No. You can't tell anybody."

"Cor, some horny chick –or maybe some horny guy – maybe John! – has a thing for Pogue. And I can't tell Becks? How are we supposed to track him/her down and stop them from ruining your happily ever after if we can't find them? I can't do it by myself." Betsy asked, confused.

"They... they're mine." She admitted, snatching them from Betsy's shocked hands and stuffing them in the book before hiding it behind the other classic literature on the shelf.

"Honey, they're beautiful! Why didn't you bring them home?" She asked, remembering the eye drawing from last night and connecting the dots. "This is where you go all the time to draw. This dinky little corner. You've been holdin' out on me." Betsy leaned back and crossed her ankles. Corrie tucked the book into her bag and leaned over, offering Betsy a hand.

"Yes. Because they're not a big deal, and you'd get all gushy and I didn't want to deal." Corrie admitted, pulling her friend up.

"Well, _yeah_! They're gorgeous!" Betsy continued, unoffended by the brutal honesty. "Can you do one of Caleb? One of the no face ones, so I don't have to explain it to anybody?" She asked, following Corrie across campus to their dorm.

"Well, seeing as I've never seen Caleb mostly naked, no." Corrie responded, smacking herself mentally as the words left her lips.

"Oh, how I envy you." was surprisingly all Betsy said. Probably because, standing in front of them, knocking on their door and looking flustered, was Pogue Parry.

"POGUE!" He jumped at her voice and turned to face them, blushing a little and looking embarrassed.

"Uh, hey." Corrie stood staring at him as Betsy unlocked their door, smiling happily.

"C'mon in, Pogue." Betsy called over her shoulder.

"Actually..."Corrie trailed off. Pogue lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Well, practice was cancelled, so I promised a girls day to Becks and Bets."

Betsy stared at her incredulously.

"It's fine! I'll explain the situation to Becks, and everything will be fine."

"No, it's cool. Have your girl time. I can respect that."

Betsy turned to Corrie.

"Marry him."

"What?!" Both of the flushed.

"If he respects you and trusts you enough to let you have girl time... he passed Commandment 1."

"Oh, you finally looked those up?"

"Yes, I finally looked up the 10 Commandments of Dating, and he passed the first one. And you pass the second one, at least with the physical connection part, you're kinda shaky on the third one of taking it slow, but you're making an effort which brings us to the fourth one – wait, that was the fourth one. Hold on, I gotta think..." Pogue and Corrie exchanged a look.

"We're not dating."

"Well you practically are!" Betsy shot back harshly. "Just do it, for God sake!"

"Have you taken your pain meds today?"

"NO!"

"TAKE THEM!"

"FINE!" Betsy uncapped her ibuprofen and tossed three back. "HAPPY?!"

"NO! YOU'RE STILL BEING GRUMPY!"

"WELL AT LEAST I'M NOT DOPEY!"

"WELL AT LEAST I'M NOT GOOFY!"

"OH, I BEG TO DIFFER!"

"FINE! DIFFER AWAY!"

"I'm gonna go..." Pogue said, easing out of the room, leaving Betsy and Corrie shouting Disney insults at each other. He'd just catch her later... if she was still alive.

* * *

Two hours, three pairs of Converse, two mini skirts, four pairs of panties, two pairs of leggings, four pairs of new socks, two matching hoodies, four unanswered calls to Becky's phone, a new purse, hat, and gloves later, Betsy and Corrie flopped, exhausted, into Betsy's Ford Escape.

"Nicky's?" Corrie eventually asked.

"Later."

"Home?

"Nap."

"Good."

Betsy started the car, and within minutes they were back in their dorm room, Corrie lugging shopping bags up and Betsy supervising. They got the clothes loaded into their near-bursting closet, and flopped down on their respective beds, falling immediately asleep.

_Corrie sat up slowly, groggily. She glanced over at her nightstand, the same one Betsy had fallen against. The book she had taken from the library sat on the corner, staring up at her. She reached out for it, but her hand didn't move. She tried to lift it again with the same results._

"_Not yet. Let him explain." A voice whispered to her subconscious._

"_But I already know. I'm just checking again." Her subconscious answered back._

"_You think you know what's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun."_

"_What?"_

* * *

"Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." Betsy clicked down the volume on the TV. "God, I love that quote. You think you know what's to come. So poetic. So poignant. Ready to go to Nicky's?"

"Uh, yeah." Corrie answered, sitting up in bed, already the details of the dream slipping from her mind like quicksilver.

They got ready for Nicky's slowly, taking their time. A half hour later, Corrie was helping Betsy down the stairs, both cursing their dorm's lack of elevator. They made their way out to the silver Escape and Betsy tossed Corrie the keys.

"Be careful, will ya? This is my baby." She begged, giving her 'baby' an affectionate pat on the hood before slipping into the passenger seat.

"D'ya think we should call Becks and see if she wants to come?"

"Way ahead of you." Betsy gloated, phone already to her ear. She frowned as her friend's voicemail picked up for the fifth time. "She didn't answer again. This is getting really weird."

Corrie pulled out of the lot carefully, driving by their dorm and peering up to see their window and beside it Becks' own window. Both were black and lifeless. Corrie frowned, getting worried.

"Becks doesn't ignore us, especially on GNO days. Come to think of it, she's been really sneaky lately. Sneaking out late, slipping off between classes..."

"OhmiGod she has a boyfriend." Betsy announced, an awed look on her face.

"How do you figure?"

"She's off with him having quickies! I bet she's there with him at Nicky's now! Or they're having sex somewhere..." She added thoughtfully.

"Who do you think it is?" Corrie asked, for once seeing that Betsy's over-romantic mind may actually be onto something. There was that Oprah sex toys incident...

"OhmiGod its Tyler Simms. That's why he was at out dorm the other day! To see Becks! Oh, it all fits! Drive faster! I want to see them together!"

"Becky and Tyler?" Corrie asked, not quite convinced but accelerating anyway, eager to get to the bar and order herself a burger and fries.

"Yeah! They're both kinda quiet and shy and studious and oh my God her kids are going to have the prettiest blue eyes!" Betsy moaned enviously.

"Yeah, I can kinda see it. They're both–" Both girls jumped as the radio clicked on, James Blunt's voice filling the comfy SUV.

"It does that sometimes." Betsy commented, leaning back in her seat to listen to the song.

_I am a dreamer but when I wake,  
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.  
And as you move on, remember me,  
Remember us and all we used to be  
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.  
I've watched you sleeping for a while.  
I'd be the father of your child.  
I'd spend a lifetime with you.  
I know your fears and you know mine.  
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,  
And I love you, I swear that's true.  
I cannot live without you._

Betsy started crooning alone, her off-key voice almost completely masking the next part of the song. Corrie was eventually forced to lean over and turn the volume up.

_And I will bear my soul in time,  
When I'm kneeling at your feet.  
Goodbye my lover.  
Goodbye my friend.  
You have been the one.  
You have been the one for me._

A commercial for used cars came on, and Betsy punched off the radio again, returning to their previous discussion as if there had been no interruption.

"So what are they both?" She asked. Corrie sighed, pulling into a vacant spot at Nicky's.

"Nevermind. You pretty much summed it up."

"I did, didn't I?" Betsy smiled, following her friend into the crowded bar.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pogue sat at home in his lonely apartment, glaring at his cell phone where it sat on his kitchen counter, mocking him. Should he call? He didn't want to freak her out. She wanted to take thing slow, to get their friendship back first and he didn't want to rush her and risk ruining anything. He didn't want to be like John, calling just to hear her voice, although, truth be told, that was exactly why he wanted to call. He wanted to hear her voice, exchange light banter, maybe go dancing at Nicky's...

Pogue grabbed his phone, shoving it into the pockets of his loose jeans. Nicky's. Why didn't he think of it before? Didn't she say she and Betsy were there all the time?

It was worth a shot. Girl time had to end eventually, right?

Without a second thought he was swinging his leg over the Ducati, helmet securely in place, and speeding off toward the club, leaving nothing behind but the smell of burnt rubber.

* * *

**R&R**


	17. Chapter 17

**Found Out**

Disclaimer - What's Covenant or Aerosmith isn't mine, and what's mine is. Simple enough.

* * *

CHAPTER 17:

"Oh, there's Caleb and the Sons. Do you see Pogue?" Betsy asked immediately upon entering the bar, craning her neck to peer around the people milling around near the foosball tables. Corrie just laughed, trying to ignore how her heart sped up at just the mention of his name.

The bar smelled of sweat, stale beer, the best fries in Massachusetts, and chlorine, probably due to the fact that every last swimmer from the Spenser swim team was crammed into the place, joking and hanging out, drinking when they thought Caleb and Betsy weren't looking.

The two girls ordered their usual drinks and headed toward the table. Caleb smiled warmly at them and invited them to sit while Tyler shot them a grin. Sarah tucked her hair behind her ear and sent them a shy smile, which was enthusiastically returned.

"So, Captain, where's your partner in crime? I thought he'd be her by now." Betsy brought up nonchalantly after a few minutes of idle swimming chit-chat. Worry tightened Caleb's features for a moment, but he relaxed and gave her a shrug. "No idea. Probably still showering at his place." She nodded in understanding and took a sip of her Dr. Pepper, shooting Corrie a glance.

"What about Reid? I expected him to be here." Corrie asked, glaring at Betsy. In truth she had been dreading it. Reid was ridiculously immature, and when he and Betsy got together things happened. Bad things involving "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"s, in-depth discussions weighing the pros and cons of certain sexual positions, and, on one particularly raunchy occasion, some body parts she had never wanted to see being compared.

This time it was Tyler's turn to look worried, but he brushed off her question with an eye roll.

"When I left our room he was warning me that there would be a tie on the door all night tonight." He sighed. Corrie gave him a blank look.

"Meaning the room would be... occupied." Betsy whispered with a jab to her friend's ribs. Corrie ignored her, her eyes fastened to the hazel ones that had just entered the room, immediately finding hers. She smiled unconsciously, and he swiftly glided through the crowd, dropping his coat on the chair next to her.

"Bets. Cor." He greeted with smiles. "Cay, Sarah. 'Sup, Baby Boy? Where's Reid?" He asked, noticing the empty seat between Sarah, who was perched on Caleb's lap, and Tyler.

"With some girl. Where else?" Tyler sighed.

"I have to powder my nose. I'll be right back, okay?" Sarah asked quietly, standing. Betsy and Corrie stood, too, and followed her into the ladies room under an unspoken agreement.

"How do they do that? Automatically know. They're like a pack..." Tyler commented with a semi-frustrated growl after the girls left. He let out a laugh when he saw Betsy purposely trip Aaron Abbott, who had been reaching out to give Corrie a slap on the tush, then keep limping along, pretending nothing happened.

"Yeah..." Caleb and Pogue agreed, both completely focused on the other two oblivious girls making their way to the bathrooms with shy glances over their shoulders and smiles just for them.

* * *

"So? What do you think?" Sarah asked, applying some gloss with a glance at Corrie over her shoulder. The bathroom was quiet, and they were surprisingly the only ones in it. The only sound was of Betsy peeing in one of the stalls and the dull thrum of music and bodies beyond the wall.

"Of what?" Corrie asked, not entirely sure what the other girl meant.

"Of the family." Sarah turned around with a smile and leaned against a sink.

"OHMIGOD are you PREGNANT?!" Betsy screeched from her stall, flushing and slamming the door open, still pulling her mini skirt up with a shocked expression.

"What?! NO!" Sarah blushed, then laughed. "No, I mean the guys. They're like brothers. I don't want to see Pogue get hurt. Kate was one of my only friends here, and she completely crushed him," Sarah told them bluntly, "And Pogue is a great guy. He didn't deserve that."

"Do you know... why they broke up?" Corrie asked tentatively, applying some gloss of her own in an attempt to avoid meeting Sarah's steady gaze. Something had been gnawing at her lately. Pogue had mentioned Kate finding something out about him and not being able to handle it.

Sarah's eyes dropped to her feet and she shrugged. Corrie and Betsy shared a look. Sarah was even worse at lying than Becks. Sarah raised her eyes again to stare unblinkingly into Corrie's. "It's not my place to tell. It is between Pogue and– well, between them. Please understand that."

"I can respect that." Corrie replied, and Sarah's serious expression mellowed into a tiny smile.

"Then I can respect you." She smiled brightly. "And we can be best friends now that you two are here to get the guys on the dance floor and away from the foosball tables! I swear, if I had to sit there and watch them play that stupid game the entire night _again_..." Sarah shuddered playfully, and Corrie laughed. Betsy glared playfully, following the two of them back out into the humid bar.

"You better watch who you're calling best friend, sista." She threatened, poking Sarah with the end of her crutch. Of course, some moron would choose that moment to bump into her, and Betsy was down faster than Reid Garwin's pants when offered a blow job.

She landed sprawled across the sticky beer spills and under the feet of Spenser's finest, Aaron Abbott.

"Oh, shit. Not you." She muttered as Sarah helped her up. Corrie was laughing too hard.

"If you wanted to dance, all you had to do was ask, Swann." Aaron taunted, completely dropping the girl in his arms and closing in on the girl who couldn't drag her cast away fast enough.

"Sit your dumb ass down, Abbott. Nobody wants you here." A figure loomed between Betsy and the girls and Aaron. Aaron glared at the guy but recognized him and backed down, returning to the girl he had been previously dancing with and wrapping himself around her with a sneer.

Betsy leaned forward and grabbed the guy up in an awkward backwards hug, her arms barely able to fit around his large frame.

"Thanks, Em! I soooo love you!" She squealed, giving Corrie's brother an extra squeeze before releasing him. Emmett turned to face them and smiled down at Betsy, pulling her into a proper hug. He smelled lightly of Axe, and his tee shirt clung to him perfectly.

"Anything for my Bets." She grinned up at him. Sarah cleared her throat, glancing between the two of them.

"Oh, Sarah, sorry! This is Emmett. He went to Spenser a few years ago. Emmett, this is Sarah. She's going out with Caleb Danvers." Betsy introduced.

"Are you two..." Sarah waggled her fingers curiously at the two, both of whom blushed.

"Oh, no. Not since I was five." Sarah gave her a look. "What! He's Corrie's brother! We grew up together. It was a very short thing. He said Barbie was stupid, and I knew right then that we could never be." Betsy swooned dramatically.

"It was all her. She started it. She said Superman could beat up Batman." Emmett countered, explaining his seven year old logic. Betsy scoffed, honestly looking offended.

"Yeah, right! Batman's just a depressed, very rich, very hot guy who has trouble moving on and works out a lot! Superman has SUPER POWERS! He'd fry Batman! And, his sidekick doesn't wear green TIGHTS." Emmett glared at her, forgetting about Sarah.

"He has the Batmobile and the utility belt! Batman can do anything, and would whup Superman. Ask anybody." Betsy glared back.

"He also wears a rubber suit! Kinky much?! Ad he's a BAT! Couldn't he find something more threatening to be, like, like an Alligator or something?!" Sarah followed the escalating argument like one might watch a ping pong or tennis match.

"You'd rather be arguing over Alligatorman versus Superman?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"EXACTLY! That's my point!"

"What?"

"Okay, I'll give you that Batman's cool and sexy and all..."

"C'mon, Sarah. They'll be at it for _hours_." Corrie assured her new friend, linking elbows and steering her over to the infamous jukebox. Sarah smiled.

"Got a quarter?"

* * *

"My God! How long does it take a person to pee? They've been gone for fifteen minutes!" Tyler complained, obviously unaccustomed to being around girls. Pogue and Caleb just shrugged and continued spinning their little plastic players to kick the ball into the other's goal for the winning shot.

Tyler jumped as the jukebox roared to life, the opening chord to Aerosmith's "Angel" filling the bar. Instantly Sarah and Corrie were by their sides, big smiles and blushes on their faces

"Which one of you picked it?" Caleb asked with a rueful smile. Corrie blushed and raised her hand.

"Guilty as charged." Her eyes flickered to Pogue's, and without any further explanation they had linked hands and made their way onto the dance floor. Caleb and Sarah followed, leaving Tyler to go back to the table and sulk. He watched Betsy and some huge guy swaying along with the music, her crutches safely behind the bar with Nicky (her leg made actual dancing impossible), and sang along quietly to the lyrics.

* * *

"How do you do it?" Emmett asked, escorting Betsy back to her table after nearly an hour of dancing.

"Do what?" She asked, eyes sparkling with mischief and laughter as she tossed back what remained of her now-flat Dr. Pepper.

"Keep going like this! You're not even tired, and I'm ready to pass out. How do you never run out of energy?" He asked

"You want to know?"

"Yeah."

"You really want to know?"

"Now I'm not so sure."

"Lots and lots of unprotected sex. With large men. Bikers. With body hair and tattoos of naked women. And snakes." She made her expression serious, and for a moment he almost believed her. He was just about to respond when some blonde guy came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Her face brightened, and Emmett felt an immediate dislike for the guy.

"Ryan! What are you doing here? I thought you were working tonight!"

"I got off early tonight. What's up? You look..." He searched for a word.

"Sweaty?" She supplied.

"I was gonna go with something more along the lines of pretty, but that too." Betsy blushed. Emmett glared.

"Oh, uh, Ryan, this is Emmett Black. Corrie's brother. Em, this is Ryan." She introduced them, and they shook hands. Ryan smiled tightly at Emmett's grip. Emmett just glared some more. There was something off about this guy...

"Want to dance?" Ryan asked, offering her his hand up. Betsy debated a split second, but shook her head.

"Sorry, Ryan. I'm pretty tired, and my leg's all sweaty. I think I'm gonna head home. Em, can you give me a ride?" She asked innocently. Only someone who had known her for years would see any hint of discomfort behind her eyes. Fortunately, Emmett had known her if not all than most of her life and could read her like a book.

"Nice meeting you, man." He waited for Betsy to tuck her car keys safely into Corrie's purse on the table and stand before brushing past the blonde guy, being sure to give him one last glare before making their way out of the bar and back to the dorms.

What was with the women in his life finding skinny, muscular guys all of the sudden? At least Becky was still had her head on straight...

* * *

"Do you remember..." Corrie asked, trying to think of another memory of her and Pogue together. The last half hour they had been swaying to the music, reminiscing. "The first song we ever danced to together?"

"Oh, I know this one... wasn't it here?"

"Uh-hu." She smiled up at him. His thinking face was cute.

"Was it... Aerosmith?"

"Uh-hu..." She admitted again.

"Was it...Love in an Elevator?" He asked seriously, testing her response.

"What? You don't remember our song?" she asked, a little worried.

"Was it...Angel?"

"You do remember! I thought I got you on that one." She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, trying not to look to pleased. He _did _remember.

"Nope. Do _you_ remember...orientation?" He asked.

"Umm... no. What happened?"

"It's the first time we met."

"Oh, Romeo, come on. Me asking you where the bathroom was doesn't count as our first meeting."

"Yeah it does!"

"Does not."

"Does too! That's what I remember as our first meeting. You asked me and I didn't even hear what you were saying."

"Cause you were too busy listening to Reid making an ass out of himself."

"No, it was cause you're so cute," Corrie blushed. "I couldn't even think straight."

"Do you remember... the school play?" She asked a few minutes later.

"Which part?"

"The part with the flyloft..." He gave her a roguish smile. Oh, he remembered the flyloft...

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Pogue, can you and Miss Corrie Black take that backdrop up to the loft to dry? It's getting a bit crowded in here." Mr. Bandum, the Drama teacher requested playfully, raising his eyebrows for emphasis. The entire Drama class was filing in, chit chatting and pushing each other playfully in a way that would ensure their painting would get smeared if not torn._

"_Sure." Pogue nodded, added the finishing touch to his section of the masterpiece, and stood. Corrie did the same, and together they lifted the heavy canvas and began dragging it up to the safer, higher ground._

_It took some doing, but with a bit of elbow grease they managed to get it attached to the hangers in the room before they flopped down on the ancient couch prop together, sighing in exhaustion. They each took in the result of the other's hard work._

"_Looks good." Corrie commented, analyzing his half of the Capulet orchard._

"_Looks great." He was looking at her. She shifted so that they were staring into each other's eyes._

"_You my Juliet?"_

"_Always."_

* * *

"You my Juliet?" He asked as she leaned her head against his shoulder, remembering.

"Always."


	18. Chapter 18

**Found Out**

A/N - What's the Covenant's is theirs, what's mine is mine. This is a short chappie, but important to the plot! Enjoy and review!

CHAPTER 18:

"God, this sucks. I still have like, forever on this stupid cast." Betsy complained, sinking into her desk next to Corrie in their eight period class a few days later.

"Only like a week left." Corrie reminded her with an eye roll.

"Actually the doctor said I can get it off in four days as long as I keep off of it, but our season's almost over! We only have like, one meet left!" Betsy complained, ignoring the professor's opening lecture.

"That's great! Now we can actually dance at Nicky's." Corrie whispered.

"Yeah, with whom? Mr. 'I have a girlfriend already but I want you dancing all over me anyways'? I think not. I feel really guilty every time I end up doing something like that with him 'cause I know somewhere in Indiana is some girl thinking of him and being in love with him and I'm all over him, acting like a whore." Betsy wrinkled her nose in disgust, not bothering to keep her voice down. "But I'm done with that now. I'm over him. Moving on. Better fish in the sea."

"Miss Swann, we're all glad you're not acting like a whore. Do you think you could manage to act like a student for one more period?" The professor asked sarcastically. Betsy gave it some thought before slumping back in her chair with a sigh.

"Do your worst."

* * *

"Are you coming to the meet Saturday?" Tyler asked without preamble, coming up behind Betsy at her locker at the end of the day.

"Yeah. I want to see if the doctor'll take my cast of in time for it." Betsy explained, pulling out her math book and tossing it in her bag.

"Good. Sucks without you. Nobody muttering curses toward the other teams under their breath." Tyler and Betsy both chuckled.

"It's killing me to be out of the water so long." Betsy groaned, pulling herself to a standing position with the help of her locker. She bent to grab her bag, but Tyler had already slung it over his own shoulder.

"Where you headed?" He asked expectantly.

"Just up to my room to drop those off then down to the pool. I can get 'em. You really don't hafta carry my stuff just because I'm a cripple." She explained, blushing. He shrugged, already heading toward her room.

"I may have a few ulterior motives..." He admitted, shooting her a sly smile.

"Oh, boy..."


	19. Chapter 19

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls.

* * *

CHAPTER 19:

"Oh, shit! She's home! Here, hide in the closet!" Betsy scrambled off her bed, pushing Tyler toward the large wardrobe. "No, wait! She always changes first! Go in the bathroom!" She changed directions, propelling him toward her small half bath. "No, she might have to pee! Under the bed! Quick!" She shoved him down onto the floor and flopped on her bed just in time for her door to swing open, admitting a very tired, sweat-soaked Corrie.

"Oh, hey Cor." Betsy greeted nonchalantly, idly picking lint from her bedspread, not meeting her friend's eyes.

"Shower." Corrie greeted in a monotone, dropping her lacrosse stuff, grabbing a towel, and dragging her feet back out into the hallway to the bathrooms.

The moment the door closed behind her, Betsy was pulling Tyler out from under the bed and shaking him.

"We almost got caught! Do you realize what could have happened? You need to leave, like, ten minutes ago!" She shook him again, but he just smiled.

"Relax. She's gone now. I'll just slip out and nobody'll be the wiser." He pulled on his blazer and threw his tie around his neck. "I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk about this maybe at lunch? I can't miss another after school practice this week."

"Yeah. But somewhere private. I don't want people to hear..."

"The Auditorium? Nobody's in there during lunch." He offered.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then." He started to duck out, but her voice stopped him. "And Ty? Thanks. For everything." They smiled secret smiles at each other, and he gave her a nod before closing the door softly behind him.

Unfortunately for the two of them, Corrie, in her nearly comatose state, hadn't remembered to bring anything essential with her to shower with, so was coming back to the room to retrieve a bottle of shampoo and some shower gel when she noticed Tyler Simms closing the door to her room, a huge smile on his face. Corrie ducked into the doorway of room 310 and watched as Tyler walked in the opposite direction, whistling.

She stood frozen in the doorway for a few seconds, trying to process what she had just seen. Tyler, tie undone and blazer wrinkled, leaving her room. Where Betsy had been. Alone. Minutes before. Tyler, who was thought to be dating Becks.

She was just fully comprehending the possibilities of the situation when the door she was leaning against opened, and Corrie fell into the room on top of a very surprised Sarah.

"Oh! Um, Corrie?" She asked.

"Sarah! Oh, my gosh! I'm sorry! I was- then Tyler- Sorry!" She pulled herself up and offered Sarah a hand up.

"What about Tyler? Were you hiding from him?" Sarah asked, muffling her laughter with a hand.

"Yeah! He just left our room and Betsy was just in there. Alone. When I left like a minute ago! He was hiding in our room with her. Had to be. And he's dating Becks!" Corrie explained, fatigue forgotten in favor of sweeping hand gestures. Sarah's mirth faded into shocked silence.

"What?" She finally asked, blinking rapidly a few times.

"Tyler! Betsy! In a room together! Alone!" Corrie whisper-screamed.

"No!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"_YES_!"

"Well what do we do?" Not it was Corrie's turn to blink in confusion.

"What?"

"Oh, you're not leaving me out on this one! Tyler, the celibate Son, finally getting some, and from two girls no less! Best friends! It's just so... ya' know?" She asked. Since Kate's leaving, girl time and gossiping had been at an all-time low. It felt good to have a girl friend to talk about...stuff with. And for some reason, with Corrie it didn't feel like gossip.

"I don't know what we do!"

"Well, are we sure he's dating either one of them? He could just be tutoring. Ty's really smart." Sarah suggested.

"Not with the smile he just had walking out of our room! And the rumpled clothes, the undone tie... Uh-uh. No way he's just 'studying' with her."


	20. Chapter 20

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Covenant not mine, and the swastik/trash bag comment is taken from Deb Caletti's "Honey, Baby, Sweetheart" because I couldn't stop laughing when I read that part in the book. Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 20:

"Becks, is there anything going on with you and Tyler?" Corrie asked casually later that night, lounging across Becky's bed and playing with her Rubik's cube as Becky typed away ah some school project on her laptop. "You know you can trust me."

"Tyler Simms? No! Why?" Becky asked, sounding shocked to even hear the thought suggested.

"Well, you two just seem to get along, and you've been gone so much lately, I thought..."

"You mean Bets thought. Cor, haven't you learned your lesson yet with her? Remember when she had us both convinced that your neighbor was a Nazi because he had a swastika tattooed on his ankle? Turned out it was just a varicose vein. And the time she convinced us there was a dead body outside Starbucks? That one turned out to be bagged leaves. So believe me, I am _not_ dating Tyler Simms."

"So it wouldn't... bother you if we hung out some with the Sons and him some? Because I've got a theory..."

"You have been living with her far too long." Becky drawled, yet paused her flying fingers to listen carefully to the theory, hazel eyes squinted in thought behind her glasses.

"Yeah. You're probably right." Corrie agreed, her mind somewhat more at ease. If Becks was dating Tyler, she would tell her.

"So what's the theory?" Becky asked, finally spinning her chair around to fully focus on Corrie.

"Bets has a thing for Tyler." Corrie explained bluntly, carefully taking in Becky's reaction to her words. Becky's thoughtful expression was confirmation enough that she didn't have feelings for Tyler, but the relief flooding her face (despite her attempts to hide it) proved there was still something she wasn't sharing.

"I dunno. Could be. She always had had a preoccupation with brunette swimmers..." Becky mused.

"So? Wouldja mind hanging out with Caleb and them for a night? You might have to keep Reid busy so he doesn't distract them..." Corrie warned. "I would do my best, but Pogue will more than likely be there so I'll be completely distracted." She waved a hand dismissively.

"Is this going to be a Nicky's thing?" Becks asked, returning to her paper without protest, smiling thinly.

"Don't know yet. I'll have to talk to Pogue, set something up." Corrie tossed the Rubik's cube in the air and caught it before standing and placing in its rightful place on top of Becky's printer. "That was really my only reason for coming over. I'll let you get back to your paper. When you're done, Bets and I are thinking about watching a movie. Door's open." And she slipped out, leaving Becky click-clacking on her keyboard.

* * *

Corrie ate lunch with Caleb, Sarah, and Pogue the next day, seeing as both Becks and Bets were nowhere to be found. Sarah and Corrie both took notice of the fact that Tyler was also missing. They pointed out the rather obvious absences to the guys, but were met with blank stares.

"Tyler. Bets. Missing. Together." Corrie explained.

"So?" Pogue asked, still not getting it.

"Tyler equals Reid, Betsy equals Kira. Get it?" Sarah explained, rolling her eyes as the guys faces flashed with comprehension.

"No way. Not Ty and Bets." Pogue burst out laughing. "He's not mean enough for her! Maybe Reid..."

"She's not _mean_!" Corrie defended her friend, glaring at Pogue for the first time ever.

"No,_ she's_ not, but she's attracted to it in a guy." He explained, backtracking.

"How do you know what she finds attractive?"

"Because I know her."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Just like I know what you go for."

"Oh? And what do I 'go for?'" Corrie asked, eyebrows shooting up, bemused.

"Studly, long-haired, brilliant. Drives a Ducati. Great at swimming, even better in bed." He smiled at her, and she punched him playfully in the arm.

Caleb rolled his shoulder contemplatively, smiling at the couple. Pogue was usually the serious one, only really joking and letting his guard down with the Covenant. The secret was hardest for him to bear, what with Kate and all, and it had taken a toll on him throughout their relationship. But here he was laughing and joking, completely relaxed with this girl.

Sarah's hand brushed his, and their eyes met for a split second. Her smile was stunning. She winked at him and shot a glance at Corrie and Pogue before turning her attention back to Caleb. She rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head in mock disappointment. Cor and Pogue were in their own world, grinning at each other like idiots.

"Think we should leave them alone?" Caleb whispered in Sarah's ear, twining their fingers together.

"Yeah. I don't think they'll notice." She smirked an grabbed her bag with her free hand. Caleb stacked their empty trays and the two of them sauntered off in the direction of their next class, holding hands and smiling at each other.


	21. Chapter 21

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me but the girls, the plot, and anything not in The Covenant.

**IMPORTANT A/N:**

**This chapter was briefly part of Chapter 20 but has been rearranged into this short but sweet mini chapter. It picks up right where Chapter 20 left off.** Sorry for the long delay; I was busy with prom & graduation, etc., but now I'm jobless, don't start college until the end of August (although I have orientation on Friday the 13th...yikes!) and Corrie recently provided some pretty juicy drama, so expect a rapid flurry of updates soon. Thanks for the reviews - I them ( & my loyal readers!!)

* * *

CHAPTER 21:

Unforunately, they didn't get very far before they were both dragged into an empty class room.

Caleb's eyes flashed black and he managed to take down his attacker with one hit and pulled Sarah's flailing hand, yanking her to him from the arms that held her captive and took a defensive stance before her.

"Jeez, Caleb! You coulda killed Tyler!" Betsy admonished, dropping to her knees next to the body of her co-kidnapper, focused on the injured Son and completely missing Caleb's eye color returning to normal as he relaxed, recognizing his attackers.

"God, Caleb!" Tyler glared up at him, a bruise rapidly covering half of his face.

"What-!" Sarah broke off, voice squeaking with stress. Tyler's glare faded, and he chuckled.

"I don't think we should have just dragged them in." He said to Betsy.

"Yeah, but it was more dramatic!" Betsy countered, helping him sit up.

"What... what are you doing?" Caleb asked hesitantly, dropping to one knee and helping Tyler into a desk to sit.

"We wanted to talk to you about something." Tyler explained.

"Something big." Betsy nodded emphatically.

"We kind of already know." Sarah said gently.

"You know? How do you know? We haven't talked to anybody about it yet." Betsy asked, confused, and glared down at Tyler. "You told her, didn't you!"

"No! I don't know how they know! YOU probably told, or sleep-said it or something!" He shot back.

"Oh, yeah! Just because _one _time I fell asleep and started talking you think I do it all the time? That was one time, after a 14 hour swimming invitational and it was because I sucked up half the pool and chlorine makes me sleep funny!"

"You know what? As fun as this is, class is going to start in about three minutes, so can you get to the point?" Caleb asked, glancing at his watch, adrenaline still pumping through his system.

"Our point is that we want to get Corrie and Pogue together. So we were thinking..."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You two," Sarah waggled her fingers between Betsy and Tyler, "Are NOT dating, but are trying to get Pogue and Corrie together. Corrie and Pogue aren't dating but are trying to get the two of you together?"

"Really?" Betsy asked, intrigued. "Why did you think we were dating and why are they trying to set us up?"

"Cor and I, sort of, uh, kinda saw Tyler leaving your room the other day and may have drawn some conclusions..." Sarah looked down at her feet, blushing, and toyed with Caleb's hand, still clasped in her own.

Betsy's eyes got big, and Tyler blushed.

"NOTHING happened." Betsy said embarrassedly.

"We were just talking!" Tyler exclaimed, shooting a glance at Betsy.

"Well, you looked kind of, um, rumpled." Sarah explained timidly.

"Because I was in there for like 3 hours!"

"THAT'S WHAT HE SAID!" The other three shot Betsy a look. "What? We were all thinking it."

"Nothing happened." Tyler stated firmly.

"Except the blow jobs I gave you." Betsy pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. Except for those." Tyler agreed amiably, watching Sarah and Caleb's eyes get wider and wider.

"My God. How are you friends with Reid and believe all of this?" Betsy asked. "I swear, y'all must think horrible things about me to believe that. Jeez! I'm not that kind of girl! I WAS JOKING!" Betsy huffed as the bell rang. "So, are you in or out?" She asked, adjusting her John Mayer tote bag impatiently.

Sarah and Caleb glanced at each other, slow smiles spreading across their faces.

"We're in..."


	22. Chapter 22

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Please enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 22:

Saturday rolled around far too quickly for the Sons and their girls, and it was with great reluctance that the boys boarded the school bus at the ungodly hour of five in the morning along with the rest of their team and their coach. However, the sleepy haze was immediately banished by the appearance of their captain, no longer injured and without her bulky plaster cast. Scattered applause and high fives greeted Betsy as she made her way to the back, blushing and grinning, to the seat she was sharing with Tyler.

"They missed you." Tyler pointed out with a lazy half-smile.

"I missed them." She admitted, pulling a soft blanket out of her swimming bag. She snuggled into it sleepily as her bag dropped to the floor with a soft thud.

"Tired?" Tyler asked, smiling faintly at her closed eyes.

"Mmm-hm. I have to get all my rest. I haven't swam in weeks." She explained, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. That cheering. Really takes a lot out of you." He joked. She opened her eyes and shot him a look.

"First of all, cheering the way _I_ do it _is _exhausting. And second of all, I'm not gonna be cheering. I'm swimming the hundred Fly, hundred Back, and the 2 by 4 relay."

Tyler blinked at her.

"You haven't been in the water for over a month! It's against the rules for Coach to let you swim!"

"It's my senior year. This is our last meet as a team. It's Suburban Leagues. I'm _Captain_. Do you honestly think I gave him a _choice_ to let me swim or not?" She shook her head grimly. "No way was I missing this. This is my family." She gestured to the now bus full of students.

Tyler shut his mouth and looked at her – really looked – for the first time. He had never really thought about Betsy before, other than her being a nice girl from swimming and some of his AP classes.

But now he thought about her.

The nice girl who had always worked so hard and kept spirits up when the entire team was injured and wanted to kill Coach Mike had somehow blossomed into this strong, bright, funny young woman who, not only could inspire the team with just a few key words, but had come to every after school swim practice and meet they had had since her injury (excluding the ones she missed while having the cast put on and the one she had skipped to talk to him). That kind of dedication and loyalty is hard to come by, and her strength of will – swimming in today's meet, despite everything – impressed him, but more than that, it made him happy. In the last few days since he had begun plotting with her, Tyler had found someone who could appreciate the simple things in life but kept surprising him. She really was amazing.

"What?" She asked, eyes again closed. Tyler realized he had been staring.

"Uh, huh?" He asked.

"You were staring. Take a picture – it'll last longer." She muttered sarcastically, pulling her blankee tighter to her to ward off the chilly Ipswich morning.

"Uh, sorry." Tyler blushed, turning his attention to outside the window, where Reid was running out of their dorm in nothing but his Speedo, beanie, and fingerless gloves, his bag hefted on his shoulder with snow coming down in big, fluffy flakes all around him.

Tyler chuckled at the ridiculous tradition. Ever since freshman year, Reid had worn the same get-up to the Suburban League meet, insisting that the cold air _everywhere_ helped get him going before one of the biggest meets of the year. Tyler couldn't blame him; if he had taken first place in every Suburban League event he had swum in, he'd probably rely on superstitions, too.

Reid came running onto the bus with a war yell that had Betsy sitting straight up in her seat, sleep completely forgotten.

"REID!" She shrieked happily.

"BETS!" He called back, grinning at her. He gave her a nod and tossed his bag in a bag seat before making his way to the back of the bus with his fellow seniors, a pair of black track pants wadded in his fist.

He sat down on Betsy's lap in his Speedo and wrapped his muscular arms around her, pressing her close to his bare chest. She hugged him back before pushing him off of her and into the aisle where he fell on his ass, looking shocked. The bus burst into laughter, and even Reid chuckled once before pulling himself up and dropping into the seat across the aisle from Tyler and Betsy, ignoring Pogue, who was staring out the window with a fierce expression on his face and his iPod cranked all the way up, leaking the Rocky theme song to the rest of the bus.

"So, how've ya been?" Reid asked Betsy, pulling his pants on.

"My leg's all better!" Betsy beamed at him.

"So we can get back to it?" He asked playfully.

"Yep. I can be back on my knees in no time."

"You're cheating on me!" Tyler jumped in dramatically, giving Betsy a horrified look. "How could you!"

"Well, you know how Reid's so chiseled, and muscular, and blonde, and you know how I like to corrupt innocence..." Betsy explained, Reid nodding along cockily as she listed off his attributes. It took him a moment to catch onto the last one, but he stopped nodding abruptly with an indignant "Hey!" Tyler laughed.

"Aww, Honey, someday you'll be a big boy!" She cooed, patting his cheek.

Reid grinned and reached across the aisle, pulled her blanket off, looped two fingers in her side-snap pants, and pulled.

"If I'm not a big boy, how come I can get your pants off in three seconds flat?" He asked cockily, holding the garment up and smirking at her exposed thighs.

Betsy reached over and landed a punch on his chest while Tyler grabbed her blanket back from his friend.

"Bastard." She said, grinning. "Gimme my pants back."

"Come over here and make me." Reid taunted. Betsy stood up, intent on getting her pants back. It was cold, and her letterman jacket only covered where her blue swim suit ended, leaving her legs completely exposed. Reid reached behind her naked thighs and pulled her on top of him, burying his head in the red and white Spenser crest right in the middle of her chest.

She hit him again just as Coach Mike stood up and yelled at them for standing up when the bus was moving. Reid tossed her pants back at her, and as she sat back in her seat, blushing madly, trying to button them back up as fast as she could, Tyler sighed. Today was going to be a loooong meet.


	23. Chapter 23

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls.

**A/N:**

I want you all to know that I seriously didn't plan this. It's based on the real Corrie's actions. Blame her. I'm just the writer who wants feedback... and a little more drama. Go ahead and flame on this chapter. I would. It's short but horrible. The next chappie you'll all love, though! I promise!

* * *

CHAPTER 23:

It was a Saturday, Betsy hadn't woken her up when she left for the swim meet hours ago, and she had absolutely nothing planned for the day. Corrie was ecstatic.

Or at least she _was_, before her cell phone started trilling annoyingly, waking her from what was becoming a rather interesting dream involving Pogue, the Ducati, and the pair of panties she had been meaning to buy at Victoria's Secret.

With a groan, the grumpy girl grabbed her cell from her nightstand and flipped it open, miraculously finding and pressing the 'send' button. She muttered something that sounded vaguely like a "what do you want?" and sat bolt upright upon hearing the voice on the other line, smacking her head on the shelf about her head in the process.

"Corrie? It's John."

* * *

"J-John? Why are you calling me?" She asked, shocked beyond remembering something so miniscule as phone etiquette. The sleepy haze dissipated immediately, replaced by the crystal clarity of adrenaline pumping through her, and she slapped a hand to her head, rubbing what was sure to be a lump of epic proportions.

"I just... I was just thinking about us. About how much I miss you." He sounded upset, almost to tears. Even now, after everything, she felt for him. It hurt her to hear him like this, even more so knowing it was all her fault that he was this broken.

"I miss you, too." She admitted in a whisper, rubbing her head. Even with everything that had happened between them, she felt the truth in her words. She missed her best friend.

"I... I'm such a dumbass. I shouldn't let this happen to us. I just... I miss being friends with you. Do... do you think we could be friends? Start over?" He asked hesitantly. God, how he had missed her voice. Her eyes. Her everything.

"I... I dunno." She faltered. _This is John._ She reminded herself. _The guy who hurt you and Betsy._ "I... I need some time to think it over."

"That's fine! More than I deserve..."

She sighed. That was so like him, to be self-depreciating. And it was so like her to make him feel better, which had gotten her in trouble with him in the first place. She was just about to open her mouth to offer him the usual reassurances when he continued.

"Would you maybe, um, want to have lunch sometime?" He asked, always so hesitant. So like the old John. Her John. And for a moment, it was like nothing had changed.

"Yeah. I'd like that." She heard herself say. _This is Johnny. Your Johnny. Not John talking to you. Johnny._

"Today?" He blurted, surprised she had agreed. He felt rather than heard her immediate hesitance. It had been months, but he still could read her like a book.

"I don't know, John." This was moving too fast._ John. John. John. Not my Johnny. Remember that. Don't get hurt. Don't get hurt._

"What about coffee. You probably just woke up." He suggested, prompting her to look down at herself, still in bed in her sofees and a cami. She opened her blinds, letting the weak sunshine into her room and glancing at the clock. 12:01. "Down at the campus Starbucks. I promise I won't make you uncomfortable, or talk about anything...you know."

He listened to her silence on the other end of the phone, knowing she was struggling to answer him.

"Just as friends." He whispered.

More silence, then-

"Can you give me a few minutes to shower?" She asked, still wary.

"Sure." He agreed too quickly. "I'll see you then."

"Uh-hu."

"Bye Corrie."

"Bye John."


	24. Chapter 24

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: The Covenant's not mine although the Baby Mamas, plot, and OC's are.

A/N

Below are a few swimming terms not everybody knows. I've been swimming for 7 years, so if they don't make sense, I'm sorry. I'm just really familiar with the sport. If you have any questions, PM me. The words in the mini-Bella-Dictionary below should be marked with astrix. Good luck, and happy reading!

--

Event: The amount of swimming paired with the stroke. And example would be the Woman's 100 Butterfly. That means a woman will be swimming 4 lengths (4X a 25 yard pool, adding up to 100 yards total) of the butterfly (commonly known just as fly) stroke. There are various events within the four strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly), including 100 yard events, relays (which can be 100, 200, 400, 800 yards) and, depending on the age range or swimming league, either more or less yardage.

Heat: The level of swimming within an event. A person's heat is based on how fast they swim. The last heat is generally the fastest, and the center lane should contain the swimmer with the fastest time.

Blocks: The pedestal things swimmers start their races from. Backstrokers start in the water, holding on to the blocks with both arms, but for the remaining three strokes (Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle) the swimmer starts in a crouch on top of the blocks and launches themselves out into the water.

Lane: The area between the floating dividers (creatively named lanelines) in which an individual swimmer competes.

* * *

CHAPTER 24:

Twenty minutes later, Corrie found herself seated at a familiar small table at Starbucks with a familiar form across from her, blowing on his coffee to cool it down.

"So... how've you been?" He asked, leaning back in his chair to look at her. If anything, in their months apart, she had gotten more beautiful, which he didn't fail to notice, from the new definition in her long legs from lacrosse, her shorter hair, her subtle curves, slightly more accentuated by their time apart, to her toned muscles. He hadn't seen her in anything but her uniform in a while (excluding that time with Parry), and he found himself almost hungrily taking in the image of her in blue jeans and a t-shirt from some lacrosse invitational.

The changes to her were subtle, but the one thing that hadn't changed was her eyes. They were always so expressive. He could tell anything by those eyes. If she felt even an ounce of discomfort, he would know.

His hand clenched around his coffee cup as he made himself a silent promise. Never again would he see discomfort, hesitance, anger, or – worse than any of the others – fear in those eyes.

Because the truth was, John had seriously fucked up with Corrie.

She was the best thing to have ever happened to him, and he had to screw everything up by thinking with his dick and not with his head. She wasn't just some piece of ass; she was his best friend. But he had lost her to fully realize this, and now it was too late. He only hoped that they could be friends again. He wondered if he even deserved that.

Her voice snapped him out of his musings.

"Uh, I've been okay." She said lightly, eyes never leaving him, not missing a thing.

"That's good." He responded just as lightly. Awkwardness and discomfort shined in her eyes, and his promise was already broken.

A silence descended upon them, and Corrie shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"So, is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?" She asked straightforwardly, looking him in the eye.

"Uh, not particularly." He danced around anything serious. But now that they were really there, together, she realized that she wanted answers, not to skirt around things that might be uncomfortable. They needed to put their past in their past to have a fresh start, a healthy new relationship. She wanted to hear what had motivated him, why he had drawn everything out, just _why_. She needed to hear it.

"Okay." She nodded amiably, still wary. "How's your mom been?"

"I don't know. Haven't been home since school started." John responded, letting some bitterness leak through his words.

Betsy had long postulated that most – if not all – of John's issues with the opposite sex stemmed from his less-than-healthy relationship with his mom, who she often fondly referred to as the "Mega Bitch," despite Mrs. Tormentor's nice, borderline friendly attitude toward the girl.

John had mommy issues, that was for sure, and Corrie knew well how strained his relationship with the woman had been in the last few years since he had started high school and had left the nest in favor of the dorms. _Probably shouldn't have started with that._

But "Hm." was all that was said on the matter, and they again lapsed into silence.

"So... how's Betsy?" John eventually asked.

"She's okay. She got her cast off." Corrie shared.

"She probably still hates me." John glared, bitterness pervading his words again.

"No, she doesn't." Corrie bit back. "She misses you, but she gets that you can't be friends without hurting each other over and over again. And she will be pissed when she hears I spent time with you, but only because she's afraid you'll hurt me again. But she doesn't hate you. Neither of us do."

"I guess... I can respect that." John admitted, his hand dropping from his coffee cup to rest lightly on hers. She pulled away immediately, all defenses up.

"I've got to be getting back. Becky and I have lunch plans, so..." Corrie fibbed, standing. John stood as well, and after a few seconds of awkward silence sat down, shoulders lowered in defeat. He had broken his promise again.

"Alright. Thanks for meeting me. We should do this again sometime." He suggested, even now realizing that chances of it were slim.

"Yeah." Corrie said faintly. "Uh, bye." She mumbled quietly.

"Yeah. Bye..." John trailed off as she hurried away, eyes not leaving her retreating form, silently sizing her up. She hadn't changed all that much, and neither had he.

--

Two hours away, at the Suburban League Swim Meet, hosted by Hastings Academy, the four Sons of Ipswich and the rest of their team were anything but silent as their female captain raced for first place in the Woman's 100 Fly.

"GO, BETS!" Tyler, usually so calm and collected, bellowed in a surprisingly low voice, hands cupped around his mouth, focused on the girl splashing away from him to the other end of the pool. Pogue and Caleb echoed him, and Reid let out a loud whistle before closing his eyes. If they had been open, anyone would have seen them flash over with fire then settling on a coal black, but as it was, only his fellow Sons stiffened a bit, shot him some pointed glances, and continued cheering. Betsy was in fourth place, still had 2 laps to go, and was fading fast. She needed this win, and none of them were going to deny her it, even if it would only happen with a little help from Reid.

The three continued cheering, but Reid stayed focused. By the time he opened his eyes 30 seconds later, a huge cheer had erupted from the Spenser corner of the Hastings Academy Natatorium, and Betsy was being pulled from the pool, laughing and crying, by a group of freshman she had been coaching during her leg recovery time and was pulled into hugs. Even Coach Mike was smiling and clapped her on the shoulder and waving around a hand with one finger up, shouting "Number one!" and practically glowing with pride.

Reid smirked. "Gotta go, boys. Need to prep for my race." He drawled sarcastically and sauntered to the other end of the 25 yard pool to stretch before his heat of the same event.

Tyler shrugged, still beaming with pride from Betsy's race. Pogue rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck before following Reid to wait behind the blocks for the last heat of the Men's 100 Fly, pulling Betsy into a half-hug as she and her smiling entourage made their way back to get her a towel. Caleb smiled ruefully and clapped Tyler on the shoulder, and both boys returned to their team's corner to the huge room.

They got there at the same time as Betsy, and, using what little strength she had left after her race, she flung herself at them, squealing excitedly. Caleb hugged her and Tyler scooped her up into some hybrid front-way piggyback-hug, ignoring her freezing, chlorinated flesh as she wrapped herself around him with a surprised, delighted yelp.

And then he did it. The thing that Reid would forever be pissed to have missed, that Pogue would never believe, having not seen it himself, and that Caleb and Sarah would never let him live down.

He leaned in and kissed her, just like that.

And she kissed him back.

And for a moment, life was perfect.

* * *

How much do you love it? Help me count the ways...Write a review!


	25. Chapter 25

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. Although the quote "Be a man. Rub some dirt in it!" comes from "She's the Man" and the rest of the story comes from "The Covenant," as you all know.

* * *

CHAPTER 25:

It was a few minutes after one when Corrie got back to her dorm room after coffee. She closed her door and leaned against it, using its support. With a sigh, she slid down into a sitting position, dissolving into tears.

She cried all the tears she had been holding back since her and John had stopped being friends. She cried for John, for what she had put him through, for what his mother put him through, for everything. She cried for herself, for her confusion, for her loss, and for what still could be between them. She just sat and _cried_.

After what felt like hours, she heard scuffling in Becky's room.

Must be back from her newspaper meeting.

Corrie wrapped an arm around her face, covering her mouth and stifling her sobs.

Becky heard her anyway.

Corrie didn't even have the will to move away from the door as Becky opened it slowly, calling her name worriedly. She just toppled over, causing Becky to squeak in surprise.

"Cor! Woah, are you okay?" She asked, kneeling beside her friend and closing the door behind her. Corrie stayed in her crumpled position on the floor, not moving, trying not to think. Thinking was bad. Thinking led to thoughts of John, and dread of what Betsy would say, and the confusing little voice nagging at the back of her head that kept wondering what Pogue was going to say when he heard she had been spending time with the guy who had had her shaking in fear only a few weeks ago.

"Cor, what's wrong?" Becky's voice cracked with concern. "Cor, talk to me! Are you alright? Probably a stupid question, seeing as you're laying there crying and all catatonic like Buffy in season five but nobody took Dawn from you unless – holy shit they took Betsy! Who took her what did they do with her – oh my God I bet they're raping her and are going to make her bear them a love child of darkness and then they'll kill her and raise her child to be the spawn of Satan and then it will come back and have some epic battle with our children- well, I guess your children, as I'm never having kids because they're gross and you have to take care of them and change diapers and you like that kind of thing and maybe, if we're lucky, you'll have Pogue's babies or maybe – WAIT! I bet John took her! Slimy, nasty little-" Becky continued ranting nervously, using words best not mentioned to describe John, fluttering around Corrie, tucking hair behind her ear and wiping the tears away as best she could. She jumped as Corrie sat herself up with supreme effort at the word "John" and wiped her tears away, covering her face with her hands. Becky kept talking, even more worried when she saw Corrie's shoulders shaking.

"Oh, Cor, it'll be okay! We can get her back! We just have to, you know, hire someone to whack 'im, or we could do it ourselves, but we'll need to go shopping first, because I don't have any black clothes, and everybody knows you can't go on a rescue mission or any mission really without wearing black so you blend into the night time, like ninjas..." Becky trailed off as Corrie finally took her hands from her face.

She was laughing.

"Becks, I love you." She chuckled. Because anybody else would have made her get up and tell them what was wrong. Only Becky would ever have reacted the way she did, the exact way Corrie needed her to. Betsy would have comforted her. Pogue would have comforted her. But Becks just being Becks was exactly what she needed.

"Um, okay?" Becky responded, rocking back on her heels, concern radiating out from her in waves. Her eyes were wide and worried behind her glasses, and her light brown hair fell haphazardly in her eyes, having fallen out of her loose ponytail. "What happened?" She asked tentatively.

"I... I went and saw John. Just for coffee." She confessed, still leaning against the door. Becky's eyes widened with shock and her expression froze like a deer in the headlights.

"Uh... why?" She asked, knowing the history of the two.

"Because I miss him. Becks, I've never, ever seen him so sorry." She reached out and shook Becky's arm lightly to emphasize her point.

"Just because... he's sorry doesn't mean... I mean, Cor, just 'cause he's sorry doesn't mean that he's changed." Becky pointed out gently, choosing her words carefully.

"I know. But I just... I can't let our relationship, our friendship end the way it did." She explained, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She wiped it away and gave Becky a weak smile. "I want my best friend back."

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. You remember last time, how much he hurt you..." Becky reminded her, slightly flustered.

"It won't be like that this time." Corrie vowed. "I won't let it get that far. I'm just looking for friendship, and I told John that. If he tries anything, we're through."

* * *

Nine hours after Becky's finding Corrie, the exhausted yet elated swim team piled out of the school bus at Spenser Academy, whooping and singing the alma mater. Betsy tripped down the stairs between Reid and Tyler, a satisfied smile on her face. Reid broke off from them, heading toward his and Tyler's dorm without a glance back, but Tyler walked her to her dorm, smiling and listening to her gush about the meet, occasionally commenting about a race or specific swimmer. As they got closer to her dorm, she quieted down, glancing at him nervously out of the corner of her eye.

They approached the door quietly, their long day finally catching up to them. Betsy dropped her bag in front of the door and stuck her key in with a sigh.

"Screw it." She muttered to herself and turned to face him, pulling his face down to meet hers in a kiss.

His swimming bag fell to the floor with a dull _thunk_, and she was in his arms. Somehow, the door behind her managed to get opened and they found themselves on her bed, still caught up in each other. With his eyes closed, Betsy couldn't see the ring of fire or the coal black color that meant Tyler was Using. She didn't notice their swimming bags appear inside her room, or hear her door closing, the lock clicking in place behind them.

In fact, the only thing she was conscious of in the world was Tyler Simms, his smell, the feel of his lips on hers, of his hands holding her just right, of the way their bodies seemed to fit together so well.

So she did notice it when he started vibrating.

"Wha...?" She asked, jumping. Tyler sighed and rolled off of her, glancing at the caller ID on his phone.

"Reid." He sighed again, the long, drawn out sigh of a brave little toaster off to meet his doom. "I have to take this. He probably lost his key again and needs me to let him in our room."

"That's, uh, okay. Maybe you should go tonight. You know, to go help him." She managed to get out shyly before sighing and returning to her normal, blunt self. "And I'm exhausted. As much as I would love to continue, I'm about dead tired."

"That's fine. I didn't want to go any farther tonight anyways." He admitted, blushing tomato red. "I, um, kinda wouldn't know what to do."

"Oh, thank God." She let out a sigh of relief. "Me either. I mean, I know the basic mechanics of it, but I just don't think I'd be very good at it. Not that you'd be bad! I guess we've both got stamina from swimming and the muscles for it, but, well, you know." She trailed off, embarrassed. Tyler's phone buzzed again, and he glared at it, seriously considering chucking it out the window. "Go ahead." She smiled up at him.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead then one to her lips before grabbing his bag and heading out without a backward glance. If he had looked back at her, he would have stayed. And if he had stayed, he would have been willing to try...

Betsy chuckled as he shut the door behind him, already on his phone with a harsh "What!" A slow smile spread across her face, turning into an all-out grin as she remembered what had happened that day. Wait until she told Cor and Becks...

And in an instant, cold fear washed through her, banishing her happy, relaxed state. It was ten at night. Corrie wasn't home. Or if she was, she would have seen what had just occurred on her roommate's bed, which Betsy wasn't so sure she would be any better than Corrie being missing. Of course, her and Tyler's kiss at the natatorium earlier had been about as public as it could get...

With cheeks growing warm with embarrassment, she glanced around the room searching for any sign of her friend. Her seeking eyes fell on the note pad on her computer chair that read in Corrie's loopy cursive:

_Becks & I went to Nicky's for some much-needed girl time. We'll be home before 1. Hope your meet went well! Tell me & Becks all about it during breakfast tomorrow? We have to have a long talk about some things. But no worries! _

_Love ya!_

_Cor & Becks_

So they were both gone, at least for a while. Betsy heaved a sigh of relief, but jumped when her own cell phone vibrated. The name RYAN flashed across the tiny screen, and she groaned before flipping it open.

"Hey Ryan. What's up?" She asked, rubbing a hand across her eyes. She really wasn't joking when she said she was tired. After not swimming for a month then going to and competing in a day-long meet, she was pooped.

"Not much. Are you doing anything right now?" He asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Uh, just sleeping. I just got home from a swim meet and am completely e-e-exhausted." She yawned in his ear.

"Would you rather go to Nicky's?" He asked, trying to tempt her.

"I'm really tired." She hedged.

"Then we'll only go for a little while. C'mon. You owe me a dance." He pointed out.

"We'll have to do a rain check. I'm seriously exhausted."

"Come on. It's only ten. We'll just go for an hour."

"Ryan, no. I don't want to go. I'm sorry." She finally told him straight up.

"Fine." She could hear his glare over the phone. "But would your precious character in 'Sound Out' have turned me down? 'Cause I don't think Cordy would have, and I think maybe you should be a little more like the characters you write and less like _this_." He hung up on her.

Betsy blinked in shock. She had told Ryan about her writing and had given him the line to her page online ages ago, when she was still crazy for him, but for him to use her characters against her blew her mind. It was way below the belt, using her writing to judge her, to manipulate her.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Tyler's number was in her cell phone and it was ringing.

"Ye'llo?" He answered.

"Tyler? It's me. I, uh, oh, this is stupid. I shouldn't have called. Nevermind." She pulled the phone from her ear, aware of how ridiculous she was making herself look.

"What? Betsy, what's going on?" He asked, and, despite her hesitance, she put the phone back to her ear and told him.

"Ryan just called and said some stuff that kind of upset me." A tear welled up in her eye. She was being a baby – he didn't know saying that would bother her that much. She should just suck it up and tell Tyler to just ignore her and go home. "And I was wondering if, after you help Reid, you could come back? Just for a little while."

"Sure. Gimme five minutes." He promised and snapped his phone closed. Betsy listened to the silence on the other line, and another tear slid down her cheek.

She scrubbed her face furiously.

"Suck it up." She muttered to herself. "Be a man. Rub some dirt in it."

She slowly closed her phone and crawled in bed, still in her track pants and swimming t-shirt. She did take the time to take off her letterman and flip flops, dropping them haphazardly around the room, and made an effort to clean up, kicking a few stray bras (Why did Corrie need so many of those things? Seriously! Four bras lying around on the floor was excessive!) under the bed.

A few minutes late, Tyler was knocking on her door. She let him in, and he immediately pulled her into a hug.

"What did he say?" He asked, sitting her down on her bed.

"I don't want to talk about it... but I didn't want to be alone." She looked so small, all curled up at the head of her bed, talking in that tiny, hurt voice. He nodded and took off his coat and shoes before crawling on top of her rumpled bed with her. He took her into his arms, and she leaned into them, soaking up his comfort.

* * *

Becky and Corrie got home late that night, just before their one o'clock weekend curfew. Knowing Betsy probably be sleeping and completely worn out, Corrie twisted her key in the door almost silently, surprised to find light shining out around the cracks. She was even more surprised when she pushed the door open, revealing her best friend, head pillowed on Tyler Simms's shoulder, snuggled up in her bed, soft smiles on both their faces, eyes closed in slumber.

Corrie's mouth dropped open. It looked like she and the gang wouldn't have to work to get them together after all.

She silently backed out of the room, locking the door behind her, and knocked softly on Becky's door. Becky answered, a confused expression on her face, but Corrie brushed past her with a huge smile, dumping her bag on the empty bed in Becky's room.

"Becks, you're NEVER gonna believe what I just saw..."

* * *

**R&R**


	26. Chapter 26

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant.

CHAPTER 26:

The next morning found Betsy and Tyler making an awkward farewell in front of Becky and Corrie's playful gazes.

"Okay, nothing happened. I swear." She promised as soon as he rounded the corner, blushing.

"Uh-uh. You never blush. Spill, hun!" Corrie demanded, grabbing an arm on each of her best friends and dragging them into her and Betsy's room.

"We'll talk at breakfast. I need a shower." Betsy evaded.

"Why? Have to wash his scent off you so quickly? Is he sticking to your very skin, making your blood burn with longing for him, making everything else fade but the intoxicating smell of his skin..."Becky trailed off, staring off into space as Betsy and Corrie shared a look.

"Er, who are _you_ talking about, Becks? Something we should know?" Corrie asked.

"Hmm?" Becky asked, coming out of wherever her mind had been since her statement.

Betsy and Corrie shared a look.

"Okay, that's it." Betsy pushed Becky down onto her bed roughly and threw herself on top of her friend, restraining her wrists and sitting on her thighs. "What the fuck is going on with you."

"Nothing!" Becky yelled indignantly.

"Bullshit." Betsy shot back, looking Becky dead in the eye as her friend struggled to look anywhere but. "What is going on with you? Sneaking around, not returning phone calls to us, all this bullshit about some guy making your blood sing or whatever?"

"Nothing! Nothing is going on! Get offa me!"

Betsy and Corrie shared another look. Corrie took over Becky's wrists, leaning over and staring the younger girl in the eyes.

"Becks, you can tell us anything. We're worried about you." She said softly, worriedly.

"Nothing's going on. Really."

"Look her in the eye and say that." Betsy commanded, brow knit together tightly in irritation. "Baby Mamas don't lie to each other, Becky. We're a team. Sisters. And whatever is wedging its self between you and us is pissing me off. We never see you anymore. And that's crap." Betsy got up off Becky's limp legs with a sigh.

"Nothing's going on." Becky whispered one more time.

Betsy sighed in disgust.

"I'm going to go take a shower. To wash his scent off." She sneered, grabbing her shower supplies and stomping out.

"Wow. You'd think a little bit of sex would cheer her up..."

* * *

"Okay. I'm feeling significantly more cheerful since my shower. Let's go." Betsy chirped into her room, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, grabbing her keys and pulling her hair back into a wet, messy ponytail.

"Fine. Since everything has to revolve around you." Becky sneered, brushing past her and down the steps without a glance backward.

"She's in a mood. You didn't have to snap at her earlier!" Corrie admonished in a whisper, pulling on a hoodie and her letterman jacket and joining Betsy in the hall.

"Well she shouldn't be lying to us. If it's something she feels she can't talk to us about, she shouldn't be doing it." Betsy snapped back.

"I'll give you that," Corrie nodded her head in acquiescence, "But you know Becks. She'll tell us in her own time." Corrie let out a giggle. "Like that time she saw that guy's thing on the internet."

"'Nice men don't have scary penises!'" Betsy quoted, chuckling as well. "That was freaking hilarious. I've never seen her freak out like that. How long ago was that? Seven, eight months?"

"Yeah, right around AP test time. Actually..." Corrie trailed off, "Wasn't that about the time she started acting weird?"

"Now that you mention it..." Betsy murmured, following Corrie down the steps to her Explorer where Becky waited, shivering. Betsy unlocked the doors and Becky crawled into the passenger seat, not looking at her driver. Corrie shrugged and climbed in back and Betsy stuck the key into the ignition, and they were off.

* * *

"Becks, I'm sorry. We may have been a tad bit forceful this morning." Betsy apologized, halfway through her waffle. "You know how I get sometimes, when people wake me up in the mornings... And Tyler sorta woke me up. In his defense, I was about to fall out of bed and he was saving me, but being grabbed _here_ isn't exactly how I like my morning to start..." She gestured to her ample chest with her fork, rolling her eyes and blushing.

"'S fine. You're buying, though." Becky shot her a mock glare.

"Fair enough." Betsy dipped her head in acceptance, and all was forgiven...ish.

"AND you're going to give us more gooshy delicious details of your sleeping in the arms of a certain Son of Ipswich last night!" Becky added, smirking naughtily and chuckling at the thought of Tyler grabbing her friend. It had to have been completely innocent, judging by the awkwardness of their goodbye this morning... but it was still hilarious all the same.

"Ugh. Fine." Betsy moaned but couldn't keep the silly smile off of her face. She recounted the tale of the swim meet make-out, the bus ride home, and Tyler's walking her to the door.

"And then Ryan called and said I should be more like Cordy in 'Sound Out' which is TOTALLY below the belt to say to someone because you both know how close my writing is to my heart and for him to make comparisons when he doesn't even know me is just completely insane! And I think he's like a _total _creeper because I've been getting a vibe from him lately and he's just not the guy I thought he was because that guy would certainly never call me and say anything like_ that_ to me and..." Betsy went on and on, with Becky and Corrie nodding along as they finished up their breakfast.

"So then Tyler came back and he just sort of held me and it was soooo warm and _soooo_ comfortable that I just sorta... drifted off." She finished with a dreamy look on her face.

Becky slapped a ten down on Corrie's outstretched palm, grumbling.

"Hey, it's not my fault you bet that she'd take less than 15 minutes to explain." Corrie responded, tucking the ten in her bag. Betsy had come back to herself and was trying to glare at the two, but broke down into a smile.

"Okay, so enough about me and my _a-maiz-ing_ love life. What about you two? Anything new or exciting happen lately?" She asked, resting her head in both palms and looking expectantly to the other girls for the latest gossip.

"Aaron and Kira broke up (again), Kyle from last year's lit class came out, Lonny in out math class got kicked out for drugs but you know his parents, he'll be back before we know it because they'll just bribe the school like every other time, Carla and Thomas are back together (so apparently Ryan told her to bugger off), and next weekend Nicky has a "Battle of the Bands" lined up for Nicky's." Becky explained, ticking off the occurrences with her fingers.

"Oh, we are so going to Battle of the Bands! I'll have to talk to him, but I bet Emmett's band is playing. And I kind of enjoy being groupies." Corry instantly agreed as Betsy sat across from her, chuckling.

"Since when do you say 'Bugger,' Becks? Are you suddenly British or something?"

"What, so I can't just throw some sexy British speak into conversations? What's the point of talking if you can't say fun stuff?"

"Rock on, Becks. Just rock on." Betsy laughed. "And about Battle of the Bands, I'm totally in. I'm a little bit in love with Em's voice, and that guitarist...mmm!"

Becky and Corrie shot each other looks.

"Bets, the guitarist is Tyler. How did you miss that?" Corrie pointed out.

Betsy gasped.

"No way. No fucking way! TYLER, as in _my_ Tyler, _my_ Son of Ipswich, is friends with Em AND plays guitar? Oh, he's a FMH." Betsy declared, practically drooling.

"FMH?" Becky asked.

"Fuck me hard. It's the newest way to classify guys. It's a Betsy Swann original." Betsy sighed. "I think I'm in love."

"You're not in love. You've only known him a few weeks." Corrie pointed out with an eye roll.

"It doesn't matter... the way he makes me feel... it's love." Betsy proclaimed. "How long did it take you to realize you loved Pogue?"

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Cor, are you coming to the meet tonight?" Pogue asked, smiling hopefully into his phone at the end of another phone conversation lasting till 2 AM._

_"Yeah, like I'd miss Suburban Leagues! Bets would kill me!" Corrie laughed quietly, shuddering playfully._

_"Great," Pogue smiled. "I can't wait. I've missed you since classes changed."_

_"I've missed you, too. I hate this new schedule. I never get to see your art anymore."_

_"And I never get to see you anymore. But swimming's almost over, then we can hang out after school more."_

_"Sounds good." Corrie smiled softly, but it faded as the sound of a toilet flushing echoed through her house. "Oh, crap! My dad's awake. I have to go before he checks on me. Night, Romeo!"_

_"Night, Cor. Sweet dreams."_

_"Night..."_

* * *

_Later, at the swim meet _

_"You came." Pogue grinned at her, pulling her into a wet hug._

_"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Corrie beamed, trying spectacularly to keep her eyes off of his heaving, wet chest. "Are you done with warm-ups?" She asked, hopefully getting the proper terminology. His smile told her she had._

_"Yep. I have to do a few starts, but then we just have to wait for the four by four relay." He leaned in conspiratorially, and she inhaled his scent. Chlorine, mixed with something barely noticeable yet distinctly masculine. Just the smell of him made her knees weak. "I'm gonna win it for you." He whispered in her ear, "and then I have to ask you something."_

_"Ask me now." She whispered._

_"Nah. I'm gonna make you wait." He smiled a friendly smile and leaned back, out of her personal space, and pulled on a blue swimming cap with the Spenser crest and PARRY printed on it. He gave her a wink and dove into the pool, splashing her. She laughed and, with a final smile toward him, went up into the crowd to claim a seat and wait for his relay, daydreaming about the possible questions he could have to ask her._

* * *

_"John, knock it off. I don't want to miss this race!" Betsy shrugged her boyfriend's hand off of her hip with a glare, not bothering to turn away from the relay to look at him._

_"Fine! Look, Betsy, if you can't ever make time for me, I don't see how this can work between us. I've tried to get you to go on dates with me, I've tried to make you comfortable, I've done everything a boyfriend should do, but you just keep getting pissed at me for no reason and I'm getting sick of it! This is bullshit! We're fucking over!" He stormed away, leaving Betsy speechlessly staring after him, mouth open, Sons of Ipswich relay forgotten._

_Almost immediately her eyes went to the crowd to see Corrie on the phone, probably with Becky who was home sick with the flu, but still staring at Pogue, hands grapsing the phone worriedly, a look of excitement on her pretty face. Almost immediately her eyes shifted, as if her name had been called, to her best friend and her smile disappeared, replaced with overwhelming concern. In a moment she was off the phone and out of the bleachers, meeting Betsy in the ladies locker room, holding her friend as she cried and explained what had happened, completely ignoring the shouts and whistles of the Spenser fans nor the announcement that the Sons of Ipswich had done it again and won the entire meet by winning their 400 meter free relay._

_"I don't know what I did wrong!" Betsy sobbed. "Why didn't he tell me he was so upset?"_

_"Want me to go talk to him?" Corrie asked, brushing a piece of limp, wet hair out of Betsy's face._

_"Y-yeah. Tell him I'm sorry. Tell him..." She opened her mouth to say more, but shut it again._

_"Alright. It's okay. Hold on, sweetie. I'll be right back." She pulled her friend into a hug and pressed a kiss to her wet temple and left the locker room, searching for John. A brief scan of the crowd and the team around the pool revealed nothing other than John's bag being missing. He must have gone into the locker room to change. Corrie sighed. That was not something she wanted to see, but maybe he'd have a towel on._

_With another sigh, Corrie pushed through the door to the mens locker room, covering her eyes. Betsy needed her. She couldn't get squeamish now._

_"Corrie!" John's voice, hoarse from tears, cracked in shock. "What are you, I mean, why are you, I, you...what?" He asked, by the sounds of it wrapping a towel hurriedly around his waist._

_"I came to talk to you for Betsy."_

_"What, she can't do it herself? Typical." John scoffed, and Corrie lowered her hand from her eyes to glare at him._

_"She loves you, and she isn't here because she can barely put together a sentence because she's crying so hard." Her glare, if possible intensified._

_John's eyes widened, and remorse flooded his featured._

_"She's crying? I made her cry? I mean, she actually _cares_?" He asked, near incredulous. Hoping too hard._

_"Yeah. She's devastated."_

_"I-I have to go. I have to tell her, to see..." John pulled up his Speedo back on under his towel and took off, looking almost happy. He bumped into Pogue Parry coming in and almost dropped his towel but managed to keep it up, scurrying around the bigger guy who just glared at him before throwing his towel around his shoulders and sighing, staring at the floor._

_"Pogue! Why aren't you- Oh no. Did I miss the relay?" Corrie asked hesitantly, and Pogue's eyes snapped up to hers. She almost stumbled back a step with the raw emotions boiling within their hazel depths. Anger, confusion, sadness, fear._

_"Yeah. You missed all of it." Pogue bit off angrily, stalking toward her, hurt shining through his furious demeanor. "Was there something more important? Something with Tormentor," he spit out the name like it was poison "that ended up with his Speedo on backwards?"_

_"I-wha- no! Pogue, it isn't like that at all!"_

_"Oh, right. You were just in here admiring the scenery together?" He gestured to the navy blue lockers and bland white walls surrounding them._

_"Well, I was in here for John, but–"_

_"So you were in here with him and it was more important than–"_

_"Yes! Something was more important than your relay for once! You were swimming! Why does it even matter! You couldn't see me anyway! It wouldn't have made a difference. You still won, just like you always do! Yay, Pogue!" She congratulated sarcastically, at a loss as to why he was so upset. "I'm sorry I missed it, but something came up!"_

_"What. Tell me what 'came up' between you and Tormentor that was so important as to tear you away." He sneered. Corrie glared at him and responded without thinking, reacting to the accusation in his voice._

_"I don't think I need to explain myself to you. Suffice to say that it was unavoidable."_

_"So now you can't talk to me?" He asked, furiously incredulous. "You're playing me and Tormentor and you don't even have the decency to explain to me why? To admit it?"_

_"No! I'm not playing either of you! I just don't see why my missing your race is so catastrophic!"_

_"It was the question I wanted to ask after!"_

_"Ask me now!" Corrie invited, spreading her arms wide mockingly._

_"No. It doesn't even matter anymore. I'm sure you have more important things to worry about. Maybe you should go do more important things with your precious Tormentor." He sneered and turned on his heel, walking out._

_Corrie let out a frustrated breath, ran a hand through her sweaty hair, and, swallowing her pride, went after him._

_Only to see him accepting a hug from a certain dark haired, mocha skinned goddess._

_And suddenly Betsy was beside her, comforting her and rubbing her back, murmuring how it would be okay._

_And in that moment, she knew. It took Corrie Black till that exact second in time to realize that she loved Pogue Parry. Head over heels, can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the moon kinda love. And now he had walked away without a glance back._

* * *

"Suburban leagues. Freshman year." Corrie murmured, returning from her memories, still feeling the sting of watching them together. Betsy's brow knit together, remembering all that had happened that night That night was the first time her and John had ever broken up, but, more importantly, it was the first and only time Corrie and Pogue had. The table was quiet as all three of them contemplated the night. Their silence was broken by a quiet buzz, and Becky immediately flipped open her phone, glaring at the text.

"I have to head back to school. Joe needs help with something for the paper. Because he's retarded." She rolled her eyes and looked apologetic. Corrie shot Betsy a look, but the eldest girl was lost in thought, remembering a conversation her friends never knew she had had...

* * *

_Flashback: __A week after the Suburban League Meet, on the Spenser Academy bus on the way home from a rivalry meet at Hastings Academy_

_"Dude, so what's up with Kate?" Reid asked, leaning over the seat of the bus to talk to Pogue and Caleb in the seat in front of him and Tyler. "Why's she keep showing up everywhere? She doesn't even _like_ swim meets."_

_"Guess she just wants to see me." Pogue smiled a small smile. Kate made him, well, not_ happy_, no one could make him _happy_ like **her**, but Kate made him content. She was difficult not to like. Sweet, beautiful, flirty. She was nice to be around._

_All four of the Sons looked over at the enormous snort that came from across the aisle._

_"Yeah, she just wants to see you. In a Speedo." Betsy quipped, arms folded tightly across her chest and fire in her eyes. John sat beside her, asleep, his head against the chilly window._

_"You don't know Kate. She's a nice girl." Pogue defended, leaning toward Betsy to keep their conversation somewhat private._

_"I bet she has a great personality, too." Betsy shot back, voice heavy with sarcasm, not bothering to lower it any. Reid laughed, but he was the only one brave enough to with that look on Betsy's face._

_"Look, Kate understands me. She's there for me, unlike some people!" Pogue hissed back, annoyed at being judged by a girl he only knew in passing. Betsy uncrossed her arms, the burning in her eyes intensifying as her voice rose in volume._

_"Yeah, because Corrie's too busy being there for everybody else to see your race! A single race she missed, out of every single goddamn meet of this year, even the 12 hour ones where she didn't have to come or stay for the whole time but she did because she loves you, and you're being a big fucking baby about **one race**! Which she only missed because I had **my** heart broken and she couldn't stand to see me hurt! She was with me, holding me as I balled my fucking eyes out about John breaking up with me! Do you understand? She was there for me! She was protecting **me**. Because she loves **too much** and she cares **too much** and she _understands_ **too much**! So don't you **dare** say one word against her or make her into the bad guy. Because Pogue, **you're** the bad guy. **You're** the one who doesn't trust her, who walked in on something you didn't understand and didn't bother to, just judged her by appearances. She was talking to **my** boyfriend to help me patch up my relationship and my heart and you just went ahead and pulverized hers into something not even resembling **anything** and you have the audacity to even **think** you don't matter to her? You are her **everything** and you just turned your back on her and moved on to Kate without letting her explain or stopping to think whether Corrie, your Corrie, my best friend, would **ever** do anything to hurt you. She'd rather hurt herself. She **is** hurting herself and you're only driving the dagger that much further into her heart. So go on. Tell me how important that race was and how much Corrie doesn't care. Try to convince me that she's not the best thing to even happen to me, to you. Explain to me **why** you turned your back on the person who loves you more than **air**. Go ahead. Do your worst. Because I can guarantee that your worst thing you think about her won't even compare to the best things about her. She is so much better than you will ever know, especially if you push her away and crush her heart any more, if it's even possible."_

_The entire bus was silent, holding its breath. Waiting for Pogue's response._

_"It wasn't about the race. It was never about the race." He mumbled into his lap._

_"Excuse me?"_

_"It was about what I wanted to ask her after, about what I feel for her. It was about her not being there for when I asked her to be officially what she always _has _been to me."_

_"If you think_ _you like her enough to date her, you should maybe get to know her a bit better. And maybe your trust issues might be a thing you can work on." Betsy bit off, voice hard as the diamonds glittering in her eyes. Or perhaps those were just tears..._

_"Maybe it she had _explained_ to me..."_

_"She tried! **You** wouldn't listen!"_

_"I'm listening now!"_

_"Well then it's too bad that she's not here, because it's between the two of you. Maybe you should have answered even one of the times she called you. Do you _know_ how difficult it is for her to swallow her pride and call you? And you don't even pick up? Of course you don't. Because you obviously don't know her." Betsy recrossed her arms and returned to glaring at the seat in front of her. "You're gonna regret this if or when she moves on, and it's gonna hurt like a bitch when you see her with someone else, just like it hurt her to see you walk away from her for Kate."_

_"I didn't–"_

_"Save it, Parry. Don't waste your breath on me. Because if she's not worth it, I'm sure as hell not."_

_He was about to respond but the bus jerked to a stop in the Spenser parking lot and Betsy stood quickly, exiting quietly and climbing into her parent's SUV, all without a glance back at either the Sons or John._

* * *

"Bets? Hellooo?" Corrie waved a hand in front of Betsy's oblivious face. The other girl shook her head, eyes finally focusing on her friends.

"What?" She asked, unusually serious.

"We gotta pay. Becks has to go." Corrie reminded her slowly, playfully.

"Oh. Yeah. I got this, guys." Betsy dropped a wad on money on the table, counting out the right amount, her head still elsewhere.

Remembering how Pogue had never come to talk to Corrie. How Corrie had eventually stopped calling. How everything had fallen apart between the couple, and how it was all her fault. All hers and John's.

"Bets, I was kidding. You don't have to buy." Becky said cautiously.

"No, it's okay. I got it." Betsy said softly, sliding out of the seat and waiting for her girls to join her.

Now it was Becky on the receiving end of one of Corrie's looks.

"Bets, er, you okay?" Becky asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Betsy's eyes were bright again, and her voice perky. Becky and Corrie both saw right through her attempt at cheerfulness. "I'm great."

"John?" Becky asked sympathetically, linking an arm through Betsy's as they exited the restaurant.

"Yeah. Just remembering freshman year, that meet in particular, just reminds me of him." Betsy shivered, clicking her car remote and unlocking it. Corrie climbed silently into the back, Betsy's pain when it came to John still ringing in her ears.

"Oh, yeah. Cor. You said we had to have a big talk about something?" Betsy asked a few minutes later, after some idle chit chat with Becks.

"Uh, no. It can wait. Nothing too exciting." Corrie waved it away with a small, nervous laugh. Betsy's brow raised, but she let it pass.

"Becks, am I dropping you anywhere special?" She asked, the school coming into view.

"Yeah. The library, if you please." Becky asked, shoulders slumped. "I hate working with morons. He probably needs to know how to spell something. Like the word 'the.'" She glared, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger.

"Joe's not all bad!"

"You just like him because you share the same political views." Corrie pointed out.

"Not true! Just because Joe and I have the same political ideology and similar internal and external efficacies is not the only reason I like him! He's funny, too." She pointed out proudly.

"You _so_ need to _not_ talk like your AP Government textbook." Corrie drawled.

"Aw, dammit! Why did you have to say anything! Ugh. Now I can't feign ignorance when Ryan asked where I was this morning..." She continued grumbling, ignoring the other two girls.

"Why does Ryan need to know where you were this morning?" Becky asked.

"Because," Betsy complained in a long suffering voice, "I was supposed to go over to his room to work on a Gov project. I forgot. Actually," she glanced down at the time, "I'm only ten minutes late. I could still go..." She made a face.

"You're both abandoning me! This is abandonment!" Corrie pouted in the backseat.

"Sorry, hun. Not my call."

"Or mine!" Becky added.

"Fine. Drop me off at our room. Then you can just stop to drop Becks off on your way to Ryan's dorm."

"Will do."

* * *

**A/N**

First of all, I want to let everyone know that I AM CHANGING THE GENRES OF FOUND OUT! I just realized how very far it had come from Chapter 1 (which was origionally a one-shot) where Pogue was sad that Kate left him, and I don't think that Angst really fits this story anymore. So I'm changing it to Romance. I just wanted to let everyone know so if you always look under "Angst" to find "Found Out" you'll still be able to find it when I update again. Of course, you could always just put it on story and/or author alert...

And secondly I want to aknowledge that it has been FOREVER since I have updated. This chapter was really long to make up for it, but the time was not in vain. I've been reworking this chapter over and over because it was actually quite hard for me to write. It was difficult to get the dialogue between Corrie and Pogue just right, but after talking to my best friend who was and is the inspiration for Corrie's character, hopefully it turned out. Now we know why Corrie and Pogue stopped talking to each other...


	27. Chapter 27

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 27

Betsy stood outside of Ryan's dorm room, prepping herself for the inevitable awkwardness. Gossip travels fast at Spenser, and it had to be all over the school that Tyler and her had kissed and that he had spent the night in her dorm. Ryan had to know. Which was both a good and bad thing. Good, because then he might leave her alone and stop asking her to hang out one on one (like a date) but bad because now there would be the weirdness of his liking her and her not liking him back and being taken and his being taken... it was all just too much drama for Betsy.

So, taking a deep breath, she knocked. As she waited for any movement within the room, she realized idly that she had never been in Ryan's dorm. He had been to hers a few times after her accident, but she had never been invited or had need to go to his room.

She was almost immediately pulled from her musings when the door swung open, revealing Ryan and, behind him, someone Betsy had hoped never to have to see ever again.

"What's up, Betsy?" John asked from where he was lounging on his bed, tapping a pencil to a notebook.

Betsy made a sound somewhere between 'hello' and a choke.

"Come on in. Looks like you know my room mate, John." Ryan invited, eyes narrowing in thought at the exchange between his roommate and Betsy.

"Uh, yeah. Hi." Betsy mumbled, still in shock. Ryan closed the door behind her, though, and she was trapped. "So, uh, what do you want to work on first?" She asked, trying to ignore John and the tension permeating the room.

"Want to start with... the candidate's positions on six main issues and their résumé? I'll start on strengths, weaknesses, and key moments in their campaign."

"Sounds good." Betsy acquiesced, rolling her shoulders and cracking open her laptop, which had been stowed away in her car for who knew how long. Not that Betsy was ungrateful for it, because who would be ungrateful for an expensive, sleek new Dell, but it was more a matter of liking her desktop better. Her desktop, which was covered in stickers and photos and had everything saved on it. Her desktop, which was constantly on, humming quietly. Her desktop, which was currently on in her room, where Corrie had been strictly ordered to be logged onto facebook in case of emergency.

Without another thought, Betsy pulled up her facebook and shot Corrie a message.

_HELP! Call me and need me for something! Please! JOHN IS RYAN'S ROOM MATE! HELP MEEEEE!_

Within a minute her cell phone buzzed with a text, and Betsy looked down at it.

_Come home! Your mom just called and is coming for a visit._

Betsy responded

_OMG, are u serious?_

She could practically hear Corrie's exasperated sigh in her response.

_No, you goober! Tell Ryan that, though, if you're uncomfortable!_

Betsy faked a sigh and flipped her phone closed.

"Ryan?" He looked over from his own laptop. "Corrie just texted me and my mom is coming over to the dorms to visit. I should be there. Can I just do my part and email it to you later tonight?"

He looked disappointed, and John looked sad, but she ignored both of them. This room, these guys were making her skin crawl. "Okay. Yeah, sure. Email me tonight and I can put it together."

"Thanks for understanding. I should have it done before eleven hopefully."

"Sounds good." Ryan gave her a small smile, and, despite thinking how he was a little bit of a creeper, that tiny smile still managed to warm Betsy's heart just a tad. She shot him a small smile in response, and his became a full blown grin. Maybe he really was just a nice guy after all...

"Hey, Bets." Betsy froze, her muscles locking at the nickname, her fight or flight instinct kicking in. "Can you tell Corrie hi for me? Ask her if she's free for dinner tomorrow."

"Why would I do that?" Betsy asked, curiosity and iciness burning her words.

"Just tell her that I miss her and that I want to see her again soon. It was really nice to see her yesterday." John responses, making Betsy's blood pressure shoot up and her blood boil.

"Yesterday?" She asked, voice deathly quiet. "Sure, John. Will do"

"You're welcome to come to dinner, too, if you want."

"Sorry. I'm busy that night." Betsy glared at him. "I've got to go." Betsy pulled open the door, lugging her laptop under her arm, eyes locked with John's. The moment the door closed, she was off, sprinting down the hall.

This could not be happening. John made it sound like he and Corrie had been together recently. As in yesterday. That couldn't be right. Corrie would have told her...

Oh, right. The note from last night. The "I have something really important to tell you." And here Betsy was hoping the important thing would involve Pogue and a possible pregnancy...

A tear slipped down Betsy's face as she ran down the hall that wouldn't end. Why him, why now? Everything was going so well. Corrie had Pogue, Betsy had Tyler, and Becky had whoever the hell she was sneaking off to see. John would ruin it. All of it. John would do what he always did and worm into their hearts before shattering them. Because that is what John did; he destroyed people. He didn't mean to, and it was never 100 percent his fault, but he did. He was the core element in the nearly every drama of the past three and a half years. He was the one who couldn't let anything fade with time. And he was the only one who, Betsy was certain, could and would mess up everything between Corrie and Pogue.

"Not this time." She whispered to herself, finally reaching the stairs and tumbling down them, barely catching herself from a faceplant at the bottom. Pogue was not going to have his heart broken again. And neither was Corrie, at least not if Betsy had anything to say about it.

* * *

"Oh, hey hun." Corrie smiled, seeing Betsy coming toward her, laptop and purse swinging madly at her side. Corrie crumpled the paper she had been about to tape to their door into a ball, clenching it nervously as the smile slid from her face. Something was up with Bets. "I was just leaving. Pogue wanted to go to lunch."

"Oh, well, that's nice. John wanted me to ask if you can pencil him in for dinner tomorrow night? Think you can fit him in?" She bit off, watching Corrie's eyes widen. "What are you _doing_? What are you_ thinking_? Are you _at all_? This is _John_ we're talking about! You can't just go to dinner with him! You can't even _talk_ to him! Do you want to get your heart broken again? Do you _want _to drag me down with you? Because God only knows that I'll be the one to clean up the pieces once he shatters your heart _again_! Please, Cor, tell me you're not talking to him again. Tell me he was just trying to get a rise out of me. Because otherwise I can't deal with it. I can't watch him hurt you again! I can't watch you go off in blind faith with him again only to have him completely pulverize you!"

"Bets, calm down. I'm just talking to him. I don't have 'blind faith' in him. He knows that if he makes a wrong move I'll stop talking to him. And I'm not asking you to go into this with me. I realize the risks involved, but I can't let our relationship end the way it did. He was my best friend and I miss that."

"Sweetie, you know that if you go in, I go in." Betsy sighed, running a hand across her face. "I love you too much for this."

"Hun, it's not your call."

"Well it should be! Because you have no sense of self-preservation! I know John, I've known him longer than you! Trust me on this one. You think it'll turn out fine, but it won't. It never does."

"I'm trusting me." Corrie said softly, not noticing Pogue coming up the stairs and stopping just down the hall to overhear the end of their conversation. "I have to do this. I know that I may get hurt, but I'm willing to take a chance with him. It's my nature. I just – I can't _not_."

"I don't support you in this." Betsy looked her dead in the eye. "But I love you too damn much. And you know I'll always be there for you."

Pogue raised an eyebrow at this. Of course he had heard rumors about how close the two girls were, but this was a little unexpected, borderline weird. And the idea of Betsy being against his and Corrie's relationship was a bit of an eye opener. Here he had been, thinking she was one of his strongest cheerleaders...

Betsy pulled Corrie's head down and kissed her forehead.

"Go ahead. I'm sure Pogue's waiting. But you be careful. Don't do anything stupid." Betsy cautioned before slipping past her friend and into their dorm. "We'll discuss this more later."

Corrie sighed and banged her head softly against the closed door.

"And so it begins." She muttered to the wood, already starting to regret the time spent with John.

"Hey, Cor." Pogue finally called softly, coming up behind her. She jumped at his voice.

"Pogue! Uh, hey." She smiled, noticeably less brightly as usual. Her eyes were full of worry and an ache that he couldn't bear.

So he greeted her with a kiss.

When it was over and their eyes opened, the ache and the worry were gone. She looked confused now, but he just grabbed her hand, cradling it tenderly in his.

"I brought you a surprise." He murmured, lips still within brushing distance of hers. He backed up and pulled out the present he had gotten for her.

"I'm going to look ridiculous in that." She smiled, taking the helmet from his hands, still slightly nervous from their kiss.

"No you won't. You'll look adorable." He promised, lifting it over her head.

"How woo I wook?" He asked, voice muffled by the helmet.

Pogue smiled.

"Beautiful."

* * *

**A/N**

I know, I know; it's really short, and there's barely any Pogue/Corrie here. I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter for some reason. I just finished the next chapter, though, and I think you'll all pretty much love it. I loved writing it!

Hope you enjoy it (and this chapter)! Please Review!


	28. Chapter 28

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 28:

"So what are we doing today?" Corrie asked, following Pogue out to the parking lot, carrying her helmet and trying to forget about John and Betsy and the whole drama there.

"I'm gonna take you for a ride. No excuses." He cut her off before she could even protest. "You're gonna love it."

"Yeah, until the bike spins out of control and smashes into a tree, leaving both of us hurt and crippled and dead." She muttered. But honestly, she was much more comfortable than the last time he'd tried to take her anywhere on the Ducati. It hadn't snowed in a few days, and, despite it being freezing cold outside, the roads were safe enough.

He turned his scorching hazel eyes toward her, locking them with hers. "Trust me."

He crawled onto the bright yellow bike, easily slipping his helmet on over his long hair. She did the same and slipped on lightly behind him, resting her hands gingerly on his hips, trying not to think of how those hips looked in that tiny Speedo he wore at swim practice...

"You're gonna hafta hold me tighter than that." Pogue pointed out, revving the bike up. It roared beneath them and Corrie wrapped both arms around his middle, grateful for his warmth against the cold. With a squeak of surprise from her, they were off.

It was exhilarating to fly through the cold air, wrapped around Pogue Parry, and in mere seconds Corrie was in love with the Ducati. The sense of absolute freedom astounded her, and she wished she didn't have the bulky helmet on. She wanted to feel the wind in her hair.

After just a few minutes, though, the thrill had worn off a bit, replaced by a chill that seeped out of the air and into her very bones. As much as she loved the Duc, she was relieved when Pogue pulled to a stop.

She hopped off the back, taking in her surroundings. They weren't where she expected at all.

She had expected a burger at Nicky's or maybe something at the family diner. What she hadn't expected was to stop at one of the old colony houses.

"Where are we?" She asked, removing her helmet and setting in on the seat. He smiled, wrapping a warm arm around her.

"The old Parry colony house. I thought you'd like to see it." His arm dropped, trailing down the sleeve of her letterman jacket and again capturing her gloved hand.

"Okay." She agreed, walking through the snow to the front porch of the giant structure. It was gorgeous, and the artist in her was dying to draw it. Covered in snow so white it made her eyes hurt to look at, the tall house was easily the most spectacular structure she had ever seen, with thick wooden pillars and a sweeping front porch. It was also easily one of the oldest buildings she had seen, yet instead of appearing decrepit and unkempt, this house retained a classic beauty and elegance.

She automatically fell in love with it.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, eyes taking everything it. Pogue chuckled.

"You haven't even been in it yet." He pointed out and guided her in through the front door. Corrie couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips at the interior of the house.

It was ancient and dusty, and her mind automatically wandered to what it would have looked like at its prime. This house must have, at one time, been the height of fashion, but now the once-expensive furniture and decorations had faded and decayed, leaving the house with a certain pungency and monochromatic color scheme. But what amazed her was how peaceful it all was. The cobweb covered rooms were silent but for the slight squeak of floorboards as she and Pogue wandered through them, leaving footprints in the dust. The glass in the windows were warped with time yet let in the light reflected by the snow, its pure whiteness giving the house an aura of holiness.

"I love it." Corrie finally whispered, finding herself in what was once a parlor of some kind, Pogue and her hands still intertwined.

"I've never brought a girl here. Not even Kate." He revealed in a whisper. "I thought you might want to draw it. Or paint, whichever you prefer."

"Thank you." She looked him in the eye and, for the first time, it was her who leaned in for the kiss. It was soft and innocent, and he was the first to pull back.

"I bet you're hungry about now, huh?" He asked, and Corrie couldn't help the laugh that slipped out when his own stomach growled.

"You and your swimmer metabolism!" She joked, but started pulling him back out to the Ducati.

When they reached the door, however, her breath left her again. A light snow had started to fall, and, despite having seen snowfall more often than she liked, what with living in Massachusetts, this one was special. Softer, more gentle. Innocent. More beautiful, perhaps. Either way, something about it made her turn and look back at Pogue. And when she did, she couldn't help herself. Their lips met again, and all thoughts of food flew from both of their minds.

Pogue eased them back into the old house and maneuvered her back into the same parlor they had stopped in, lowering her onto one of the small couches in the room, lips never leaving hers.

Her fingers moved from his hair, where they had almost immediately tangled themselves to his leather jacket, unzipping it and gently shrugging it off of him. Soon her own gloves and coat had been similarly discarded, followed by shirts and jeans, leaving them together in the cold air in only their undergarments. His lips had left hers, trailing down her neck and onto her chest, leaving feather-light kisses between and on the swells of her perfect breasts. With another kiss to her mouth, his hand slipped beneath her, unclasping her bra.

"Pogue? I don't know if I'm ready for this." She slowed him down, panting slightly.

"Alright." She expected to see disappointment shine through his eyes, but a soft smile and a kiss were all she saw. "You let me know whenever you _are_ ready, though." He smirked slightly.

"You'll be the first." She squeaked out.

He laughed at her voice and rolled off of her and onto the floor, grabbing his jeans and zipping them back up. She followed suit, and soon they were glancing shyly at each other, fully clothed, on their way out to the Ducati.

They climbed on, but suddenly she had no problem wrapping her arms around him as he drove to Agnes and Don's B&B. And this time, she let her hair blow out behind her.

* * *

**A/N**

Hey guys! How'd you like THAT, huh?

I started college on monday and have been super busy but, luckily for you, I managed to write the next chapter already so don't fear - more fluff is to come! I'll post sometime next week, but after that it may be a while before we have some more Pogue/Corrie action or Found Out action at all. Like I said, college is crazy and once I start work again next week it will only get worse. But I'll do my best, especially if lots of you R&R!


	29. Chapter 29

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 28:

After lunch at what Corrie was now beginning to think of as 'their' restaurant in 'their' booth, Pogue, noticing her reluctance to go back to her dorm, drove them to the tiny two-screen theatre in town and they spent the next two hours immersed in the latest Angelina Jolie movie.

"That was phenomenal! I loved it." Corrie gushed as they left the theatre.

"She was." Pogue agreed, not even realizing his slip up until Corrie had whacked him with her new helmet.

"Jeez, you could at least _pretend_ that you weren't staring at Angelina Jolie the whole time!" She joked.

"Hey, I've got eyes! It's not my fault!" He defended playfully, slinging an arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into him, and they only parted to slip on their helmets.

"Hey, Romeo?" She asked, snuggling into his back.

"Hmm?" He asked, starting the bike.

"Can I drive?" She bit her lip.

"Um..." He turned around and made the fatal mistake of meeting her eyes. "Yeah. Sure." He crawled off the bike and she slid forward. He hopped on behind her, enveloping her with his warmth, and explained the controls to her. "Here's the clutch, here's the brake..."

"Okay. Clutch, brake. Got it."

"Easy, easy, EASY!"

"Romeo, I got it! We're not even movi-oofh!" And then they were off, shaky to start with, but by the time they had reached her dorm Corrie had gotten the hang of it and Pogue had relaxed some.

As they slid off the seat and removed their helmets, Corrie couldn't help but groan.

"What's up?" He asked, worry clouding his hazel eyes.

"I really don't want to go in there. Betsy's mad at me, and I really don't want to deal with a big talk right now." Corrie admitted.

"Then come home with me." Pogue offered without thinking. She gave him a look. "No funny business, I swear. You can sleep on the couch or whatever."

"Riiiight. And then deal with all the rumors it would start?"

"First, I don't live at school, so how can it start rumors and second since when do you care about rumors?"

"Since I started living with Betsy." She shot back. "Look, Romeo, I want to–"

"Then do. I'm offering you a way to avoid having a big talk AND spend some quality time with your favorite baby daddy."

Corrie's eyes about popped out of her head.

"WHAT?"

"Oh, yeah, like the guys and I don't know that you call all of us the baby daddies. Betsy's whisper is like a normal person screaming. We've known you call us that for years." Pogue explained, a grin spreading across his face as a blush heated up hers. "So come on. What's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

"I'm not going to let you sleep on your own couch so I can sleep in your bed!" Corrie argued.

"I hope we never get married, because you argue about EVERYTHING!" Pogue complained, making up the futon for himself.

Corrie froze at his words, and he instantly regretted them.

"Not that I wouldn't, you know–"

"Stop! Stop talking! You're digging yourself into an even bigger hole! Just stop talking and get in bed and things will be just peachy." She commanded, annoyed that her face was, once again, tomato red.

"Only if you come with me." He couldn't help himself. Her face flushed again.

"Oh, Romeo, grow up." She said playfully, flopping down on his futon before he could. "Go! Curl up in your own bed!"

He gave her a smirk and scooped her up in a firemen's carry, hyperaware of the fact that she was wearing one of his swimming shirts and very little else. And then she started squirming, trying to escape his arms. He about dropped her there, forgetting his promise of no fooling around. But then she gave in and stopped her wiggling, saving him from what could possibly be the most crushing rejection of his life. He regained control over his momentary hormone-driven lapse in judgment and he dumped her on his bed.

"Now stay." He commanded, trying to maintain that control. After all, he was a teenage guy. And as everyone knows, teenage guys only have so much self restraint when it comes to certain things.

"You stay." She commanded, yanking one of his arms just so that he tripped on the edge of his bed and landed next to her. His breathing caught as he stared into her eyes, closing his own as he leaned in for a kiss. He missed her whole face lighting up with mischief. "I go." She added, bolting out of his arms and out onto the futon.

They went through the same basic routine twice more (which about killed Pogue) before she finally caved and accepted the fact that he was taking the futon and that was final.

Cuddling up in sheets that smelled like him was soothing, and she found herself drifting, but she couldn't get over the fact that he was in the other room, sleeping. She was sleeping over at a guy's house. At Romeo's.

The fact kept her up a long time, half awake, half exhausted. After while she got up and wrapped herself in his comforter, accepting that sleep wouldn't be visiting her anytime soon, and looked around his room. It was fairly Spartan, with a bed, a desk, a dresser, a lamp, and an alarm clock. For a teenage guy he was fairly neat, without any dirty clothes littering the floor or video games left out. In fact, the only things that stuck out as being remotely out of place were his only non-essentials, which were pictures. One framed in plain black read 'Brothers' at the bottom and was a picture of the Sons, maybe six months ago. They were all smiling, joking around, Reid's arm slung around Caleb's neck and Pogue grinding a fist into Tyler's hair. Corrie picked up the frame and couldn't help the smile the picture evoked. They really were great guys.

She was just setting the frame down when she noticed the hand on Reid's arm. Someone was on the other side of Caleb, an arm around him, hand resting on Reid's bicep. Corrie frowned, turning over the frame and sliding it open. There was the edge of the photo, bent over. A guy stared up at her with penetrating blue eyes and spiky hair and a relaxed smile. He looked strangely familiar, and as she stared at the photo she could have sworn she saw the guy's eyes flash black and the smile turn into a smirk. Shaken, she refolded the picture and clumsily slid the frame closed. _Must be getting pretty late if I'm this jumpy_ she thought, shaking her head at her silliness. To distract herself, she moved on to the next photo.

This one looked older and showed a middle aged man who looked strikingly like Pogue and a young woman with the same eyes that Corrie had fallen in love with. _They're his parents_ she realized. She hadn't known how much older Pogue's dad was than his mom. She wondered how they had met with such a dramatic age difference.

And then there was the third picture frame, the one that looked so completely out of place on the empty desk. It was silvery and jeweled and read 'true love.' It was a picture of him and Kate, neither of them looking at the camera, completely caught up in the kiss they were sharing.

It made her sick to look at. Guilty.

She put the picture face down. She would never be able to sleep with that staring at her. Nor would she ever forget the image of them together, of him looking so caught up in the moment. So happy with someone who wasn't her.

Corrie turned away from the pictures with a sigh, intent on crawling back into his bed and trying to fall asleep (fat chance). But she stopped, noticing something familiar poking out from under his bed.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she pulled it out only for her jaw to drop open at the sketch on the creamy sketch pad. It was her, but not her as she had ever looked in real life. The girl he had drawn was gorgeous, graceful. Even in two dimensions, she seemed to move with a poise the real Corrie had never possessed. She stared up at her from the page, eyes sparkling with mischief and a smile. Even in stark black charcoal, she glowed.

Corrie sat heavily on the bed, paging through the book. It was filled with sketches of her, some based on pictures, some not.

She blushed when she got to the nude ones. How or why he had drawn them she would never know or ask, but he had. The artist in her found the beauty in them, but the teenage girl in her wanted to simultaneously blush, curl up under the covers and never come out again, show him the real thing, and draw some clothes on herself for pete's sake.

She compromised by closing the sketch pad and gently pushing it back under his bed before tiptoeing out to see if Pogue was asleep. He was, sprawled out on the mattress, his hair tousled in sleep. She pulled a lock of it back, revealing his face. He looked so relaxed. Usually he was so tense, almost broody. Like he carried a terrible burden. It was nice to see him like this.

He shifted, and for a moment she was afraid that she had woken him, but he just rolled over. She breathed out in relief before leaning in and placing a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I don't care if you loved her." She admitted in a whisper. "I don't care what you're keeping from me. I love you. You hear me? I'm completely crazy about you, Romeo." She admitted to his sleeping form before letting his comforter pool at her feet and sliding in under his blankets next to him, not bothering to pull it down when her shirt rode up. Her toned stomach met his as she closed the space between them. She pressed a kiss to his neck, and his arm sleepily moved to pull her in. Within seconds she was asleep, surrounded by his scent and completely and irrevocably in love.

* * *

The next morning found the pair up bright and early. Pogue wasn't surprised to find her in bed with him when he woke up and merely suggested that she start some coffee while he hopped in the shower. She had done so, and by the time he was out of the shower and dressed for school it was ready.

Only for both of them to realize that you can't exactly drink coffee while driving a motorcycle.

"Agnes and Don's?" He had asked, glancing at his watch.

"Okie-pokie." She had agreed, and here they were, grabbing a quick breakfast before swinging by her dorm for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

"So was the artistic-ness the only reason you brought me to the colony house?" Corrie asked, taking a bit out of her scrambled eggs. "Or did you have less innocent motives last night?"

"Whaddaya mean?" Pogue asked, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"I'm sure you've seen The Notebook. Did you take me there knowing...what would, you know, _almost_ happen?" She asked, a slight blush staining her cheeks. She was thankful for her long-sleeves to cover up her goose bumps from the memory of his touch and his sketched expectations of what she would look like.

"Huh?" He asked around a mouthful of steak and eggs. Corrie made a face.

"That's really attractive. Cheeks bulging, half-masticated cow rolling around in there." She wrinkled her nose.

"Hey, you can go ahead and eat all the salad and sprouts that you want, but I'm a carnivore. I like meat."

"Actually you're an omnivore." She pointed out with a laugh. He shot her a look and purposefully opened his mouth to reveal what was left of the last bite of his breakfast.

"Ewww... how can you eat what used to be a walking, breathing baby cow? It's so unhealthy. And wrong."

"It's easy. I put it in my mouth, chew, and swallow. My family used to own cattle back when Ipswich was being settled. And my great grandparents and my grandparents both owned farms, which is part of the reason my family has done so well for its self. I kinda like the whole eating animals thing." He revealed, voice laced with sarcasm.

"Really? I though you Parrys were all lawyers?"

"Naw. Just my dad. And me, hopefully."

"Hmm. So, you and Caleb, going to Harvard law together next year?"

"Hopefully. What about you? Art school with Betsy and Becky?"

"Close. I'm double majoring in Anthropology and Art, hopefully somewhere an hour or two away. Becky's staying local, going to be a high school teacher, and Bets... well, she's still figuring things out." Corrie smiled as she thought of her indecisive best friend. Unlike Becky, who had known what she wanted to do with her life since forever practically, Betsy's life goals changed weekly from hotel managing to dinosaur bone hunting to college professor-ing to moving out to California to be a movie star. "What about the guys?"

"Caleb's going to Harvard to study law with me, like I said, and Tyler wants to go to Dartmouth to study Biophysical Chemistry, and Reid wants to go to Brown to major in Biostatistics."

"Wow. That surprises me."

"Why?"

"I guess I just don't know them well enough. Reid doesn't strike me as a Biostatistics kind of guy. And the fact that you're all going to different colleges. Just seems... I dunno, out of character."

"It doesn't really matter where we are. We're still brothers."

"Yeah, I saw your picture last night. You guys are pretty tight, huh? The Sons of Ipswich." She chuckled at the title.

"We grew up together. Our families are really close."

"Wasn't there supposed to be a fifth family that settled Ipswich?" Corrie asked, remembering, for some reason, the folded over part of the photo.

"Yeah. That line died out, though." His face darkened.

"Line?"

"The Putnams. Their lineage ended with John Putnam. When he was convicted of witchcraft and put to death." He said steadily.

"Why are you lying to me?" Corrie asked calmly.

"I'm not." He answered in the same steady voice.

"Then why do you look and sound like you are?" She asked, making it sound like more of a statement.

"I'm not. Corrie, can we please talk about something else? Actually," He glanced down at his watch, "We have to go. Think you can get ready in a half hour?"

"Yeah. I'll manage." She let the subject drop. It obviously made him uncomfortable, and besides; she had other resources, like the book she and Bets had checked out from the library ages ago. The book that had explained everything to her as a freshman. The book that, if she were to look, had Sarah Wenham's name written down as having checked it out a few months back. As soon as she got home, she would grab _The Chronicles of Paganism: The Rise of the Witch_ and catch up on some reading...

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry it has been so long! But, I'm sorry to say, it will more than likely be quite a while before another update of Found Out. I just have no time to write! College and a part-time job along with being a spanish tutor and trying to get out of a relationship with a guy I don't love (so I can be with the guy I've been crazy about since before my current boyfriend and I started going out but was trying to forget because he moved to NC for college... but this is neither here nor there...) and tryingn out for the school play has been sucking up all of my time. And, to add to the fun-ness of my life, my power has been out since Sunday (today is Wednesday) so no running water, no lights, no computer for Bella. Which means no new chapters. SO SORRY! Hopefully you all liked this one. I enjoyed writing it ;)

**R&R**


	30. Chapter 30

**

* * *

**

Found Out

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 30:

"Oh, good morning. Spend the night with John?" Betsy greeted Corrie without looking up from her AP Government text book as her friend slipped into their room, shutting the door softly behind her. Corrie sighed.

"Do we have to do this now?"

"I suppose if you don't have time for me anymore, that's fine. You have _other_ friends. I understand." Betsy glared, slamming her book shut and shoving it roughly into her already heavy tote.

"Bets..." Corrie groaned out, not in the mood for the guilt trip.

"Save it. I guess we'll just talk later, Miss Has No Sense of Self-Preservation." Betsy bit off shortly before slamming the door behind her dramatically, leaving her best friend frustrated and already running late.

"That girl...!" Corrie muttered, grabbing her shower stuff and heading off to complete her morning routine in time for classes.

* * *

"Dude, where were you last night?" Tyler asked, slinging an arm around Pogue's shoulder. But before Pogue could respond, Reid had cut in.

"Well would ya look at that. Our own Pogo stick got to stick his pogo somewhere." He grinned viciously, making a rude hand gesture.

"Dude, have some tact." Caleb cuffed him on the head.

"You did! With the artist chick? Did she paint on that spray-on condom shit?" Caleb and Pogue's eyes met before Tyler voiced what they were all thinking, which happened to be "What the fuck, Reid?"

"Hey, man, that shit is hard to get off. You have to really scrub. Couldn't do anything for a whole week after. It was worth it, though." He smirked at some far off memory as the other Sons exchanged a look.

"So baby boy, when are ya gonna tap that sweet little virgin captain?" He asked, easily coming back.

Caleb scoffed. Pogue chuckled. Tyler turned bright red.

"Betsy is _not_ a virgin. Remember the swim team dance? She had her ass pressed into everybody then." Caleb pointed out, smirking slightly at the memory. Tyler's ears flamed bright red, but he remained silent. Pogue chuckled, clapping Tyler on the shoulder knowingly.

"If anybody'd ever gotten through her fuckin' psycho dad maybe we'd have heard about it, cause _damn_. With tits like those, how could she be anything but a fuckin' pro?" Reid asked cockily.

He didn't see Tyler's fist as it connected with his nose, but he sure as hell felt it.

"Tyler! What the FUCK, man?" He cursed, feeling blood start to gush from what used to be his nose. In seconds he had Used to fix it and clean up the crimson liquid. Pogue and Caleb stood aghast, watching the drama unfold. Tyler had never, in all their years as friends and brothers, struck Reid.

"Don't you talk about her like that!" Tyler glared, his eyes flashing with a ring of fire then quickly coal black, and Reid's nose again gushed blood as his best friend whirled on his heel and stalked away, anger evident in his stride.

"Jesus, I was only tryin' to get a rise outta him." Reid glared at his receding back with obvious contempt. All this for a chick...

"Say a word against Corrie or Sarah and you'll have something else broken." Pogue threatened, pushing roughly past Reid, not entirely serious.

"Yeah, right. What happened to bros before hos?"

"Chicks before dicks." Caleb explained, clapping Reid on the shoulder as he too walked away, heading for Sarah's dorm to walk her to class.

* * *

Corrie couldn't concentrate. She had about two minutes to get to practice, her best friend/roommate was still pissed at her, and her phone had just buzzed, alerting her to a text.

John Cell:

_Want 2 hav dinner 2gether 2moro?_

Almost instantly the phone vibrated with another text, this one much more welcome.

Bets:

_Hey hun sorry I was being a bitch earlier. _

_Dinner w/ Becks tomorrow to say sorry? My treat._

Corrie sighed. Nothing could ever be simple, could it?

With a few quick keystrokes she responded to John.

_Can't. Sorry._

She continued on to practice, jogging and pulling her goggles on at the same time. She would just RSVP to Bets at home later.

She was just pulling her stick out when she received another text from John.

John Cell:

_Y not? bc of parry?_

She glared and ground her teeth.

_No._

And with that, she tossed her phone to the bottom of her LAX bag and took off, throwing herself completely into her workout.

* * *

Practice flew by for Corrie as she worked out her frustration on her team mates, and soon she was slinging her bag up on her shoulder to head back up to her dorm, chatting with the other girls and feeling significantly better than she had earlier. Lacrosse had a way of making her problems fade to being nothing more than the furious pumping of her legs, the breath rushing in and out of her lungs, and the thrill of cradling the ball and working with the team as one. It had felt good to work all the kinks of stress out with some good old fashioned exercise.

So when she felt her phone vibrate through the material of her bag, making her muscles return to their tense, pre-practice state she was understandably upset.

With a growl she ripped the bag from her shoulder and dug for the phone. Three missed calls. One text. All from John's cell.

John Cell:

_Bullshit_

She let out a frustrated groan and started texting back only for the phone to start buzzing once again with a call from the guy in question. She hit the 'send' button with a bit more force than necessary.

"What!"

_"Corrie? I've been calling you for like two hours. Where have you been?"_

"At lacrosse practice, John! Just like I have tomorrow and the next day and the day after that! My not going out with you has nothing to do with Pogue! How dare you even bring him up!"

_"Oh, yeah. Like I'm supposed to believe that. Like you're just friends. I don't remember you ever spending the night with me when we were friends."_ He pointed out aggressively.

"You know what? Anything I do or do not do with Pogue Parry is my business, and if I want to go out to dinner with him rather than you then I will! However, I'm going out after practice tomorrow for a late dinner with Bets, who has next to nothing to do with Pogue! We're not dating, John! You and I never dated! You have no right to act all jealous like this!"

_"Don't I? You wouldn't date me but you'll date him after he ignored you for four years? How is that fair? You just forgive him but you won't even have dinner with me?"_

"BECAUSE I LOVED HIM ALL ALONG! I've always loved him! That's why we never dated, John! Because I never loved you like I love him!" She exploded, drawing a gasp and a few giggles from the other girls from the team who had crowded around her to eavesdrop.

_"Oh. I see."_ John sounded shocked and hurt, and she immediately regretted her harsh words but found herself unable to stop.

"John, I loved being friends with you. But if you're going to act like this then we're not going to even work out as that. Maybe we should stop trying now. Save ourselves some heartache."

A long pause followed, and it was she who finally broke it.

"Say something."

_"If you're busy tomorrow then when are you free?"_ He asked quietly. _"I'd rather have some of you than none of you."_ The rest of his thought hung unspoken, although both knew it lurked in the recesses of his mind: _And I'd rather have all of you than just some of you._

"I'll let you know." She promised, her anger already cooling.

_"Okay then. I'll just let you go..."_

"Yeah, okay. Bye, John."

_"Bye..."_

She flipped the phone shut, cutting off the line. The girls on the team all lent a sympathetic look or a comforting pat on the back, and she even an offer to walk her back to her dorm from three or four different teammates. At Corrie's declination they eventually dispersed, each casting a concerned glance over her shoulder as they went off on their own separate ways.

With a sigh, Corrie headed for her own dorm, now even more stressed than before practice.

* * *

"I'm home." Corrie announced softly, dropping her lacrosse stuff just inside her dorm room.

"Hey." Betsy gave her a scrutinizing look. "What's up?" She asked, apparently concerned with Corrie's expression.

"John wanted me to go to dinner with him tomorrow." Corrie flopped down on her bed.

"And you said...?" Betsy asked, more curious than malicious.

"And I said no. Then he started blaming Pogue, and I just snapped." Corrie rolled onto her belly and buried her face in her pillow.

"Please tell me the end of this story involves you rolling his battered body into a freshly dug grave." Betsy hoped, rubbing comforting circles on her friend's back.

"Sorry to disappoint. It involves me admitting – screaming, really – that I love Pogue. In front of the entire girls lacrosse team."

"Ouch." Betsy winced sympathetically. "Well, at least maybe John will have gotten the message by now that you're taken. And by a Son of Ipswich no less."

Corrie sat up abruptly. How could she have forgotten? The book! She had some pretty serious reading to catch up on!

"Whacha doin'?" Betsy asked, mildly alarmed when Corrie started digging around her bookshelf.

"Looking for _this_." Corrie explained, holding up a familiar book.

"The witch book? The one about how Pogue and Tyler and the baby daddies have The Power?" Betsy asked, confused. "What about it? Do we need to confirm it again? Because last time we questioned the wisdom of this book I ended up with my skirt blown up at Nicky's and my favorite underwear hanging out for God and everyone to see. They're witches, Cor. We've known that for years."

"I know, I know... I just, I _don't_ know. I just feel like there's something I'm missing here..."

"Something like what?" Betsy asked, perching alertly on the edge of her bed, eyes locked on Corrie as her friend paged frantically through the book.

"I don't know... spiders start suddenly crawling toward me, Caleb acting weird about it, the way Pogue was talking about the fifth family, the reason Kate left Ipswich... It just seems a little, I dunno, coincidental, doesn't it? Remember when Kate got all those spider bites? And I think I remember something about..." She thumbed through the pages, stopping on one with a hand drawn illustration, "spiders being a spell. A spell commonly used by the fifth family." Corrie's face it up as the pieces clicked into place.

"So what are you saying? The fifth family went after Kate and is after you now, too?" Betsy asked, trying to simplify things. Corrie nodded, and both girls fell silent, absorbing the idea of it.

"Do you hear water running?" Betsy asked after a few moments, cocking her head to hear better.

"Did you leave the sink on or something?" Corrie asked, rising and heading over to their half bath. Betsy was already ahead of her and swore softly at the sight of their sink running over with water. She turned the water off and stuck her fingers down the drain, pulling them back with a cry as crimson liquid bubbled up from a cut in her finger. It was then that the girls noticed the shards of glass littering the bowl of their sink.

"Did you break anything in here?" Betsy asked.

"Uh-uh. Looks almost like a mirror broke or something. Maybe Becks was in here?"

"Maybe. Maybe she left the water on. Weird, though. I know I haven't used this sink since I brushed my teeth this morning. And I turned it off. And you know how careful Becks is about stuff like that..." Both girls shared a look and returned to their bedroom, opening the book up to scan.

"I'm gonna have trouble getting to sleep tonight." Betsy admitted with a look of apprehension as she skimmed the ancient pages.

"Sleepover with Becks." Corrie asked.

"Sleepover with Becks." Betsy confirmed. "And maybe a priest."


	31. Chapter 31

**Found Out**

Nothing, including the Buffy references, belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 31:

"So then the water was overflowing and somebody broke a mirror or something in there and now we're both uber-wigged and as much as I hate to admit it I want to call Ryan so he'll, like, some bless the place and get rid of the bad booga-booga so I can sleep or play cards or make myself a sandwich or watch Buffy without worrying that the fifth family is going to come after Corrie because she's sorta with a Son of Ipswich." Betsy explained, pulling out the old puppy dog eyes and clasping her hands in front of her as she and Corrie stood outside Becky's door with blankets and pillows.

"You do realize that you're dating a Son, too, don't you?" Becky asked calmly, staring her besties down over her glasses. Betsy's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her mouth dropped open in realization. It opened and closed like she wanted to say something, but all she managed to do was to whip her head around from Becks to Corrie and back , horror-struck., before running down the hallway and back, flinging her pillow every which way, mouth open in a silent scream.

"THIS IS TERRIBLE! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!" She whisper-screamed as she returned to her friends, looking pale.

"I dunno. I guess it just did." Corrie shrugged, even more creeped out after Betsy's realization. Corrie hadn't considered the double threat of living with Betsy. They had to assume that both of them were at risk. After all, the spider in the lunchroom had been after Betsy, too...

"That's it. I'm calling Ryan. The guy's going into priest school next year. He'll say some Hail Marys and be on his way." Betsy bit her lip as her phone rang. Ryan picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"RYAN! I need you! Bring your Bible!" She greeted him.

"What? Why?" He asked. "You know I can't marry people yet, right?"

"I need you to get some of your priest buddies and some holy water and a crucifix or 12 and use the power of Christ to compel whatever has been in our dorm room!" She barked into the phone, nearly hysterical.

"You know I'm not Catholic, right? I'm Calvinist." He explained slowly. "Now what do you need me and my Bible for?"

"TO FIX OUR DORM!" She screeched.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked.

"Just come over here. Bring the Bible, bring books, burn some candles, do something. All I know is that we're being haunted and that I don't like it and that I cut my finger on some evil glass mirror thing and it HURTS!"

"Uh, okay. I guess I could come over for a little while..."

"Great! See you in a few." Betsy latched on to the idea.

"Uh, okay."

"Bye, Ryan." She gushed, feeling better already.

"See ya."

With that she flipped her phone closed, sighing a refreshed sigh. Becky and Corrie shared an eye roll and both moved into Becky's room, leaving the drama queen in the hallway. Betsy followed them in, whining.

"What, guys? What was that eye roll all about? Aren't you glad Ryan's coming to close our hellmouth?"

* * *

A/N

SO sorry for the hiatus here! My first semester of college has been a total suckfest and I was in the fall play so I was uber busy between that, school, and work. I'm currently on Christmas break and have at least 2 more chapters written out, so expect to see them in the next couple of days! Thanks so much those of you who review! It means the world to me 3

**R&R**


	32. Chapter 32

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Biblical, from The Covenant, Buffy, Just Like Heaven, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, or Animal House.

* * *

Ryan appeared outside Becky's dorm room a few minutes later, Bible in hand.

"I hope this is okay that I came over here. I knocked on your door and nobody answered, so I figured you were here." Ryan explained to Betsy when she flung open the door.

"That's fine. We just want to clean this house and get some sleep. I wouldn't have bothered you if I knew any little old midget ladies with scratchy voices, but I don't so I figured I'd go with you." She told him.

"Does the new boyfriend know I'm here?" Ryan asked with an edge to his voice as Betsy led him to her and Corrie's room. Becks and Cor followed behind, listening carefully.

"No. I don't think we need to bother him with something so silly." Betsy responded a little too quickly. Corrie and Becky exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing: Betsy didn't want to worry Tyler because he was a witch, not because she didn't have feelings for him. But Ryan didn't know this, so the small smile spreading across his face as he slipped into the dark room behind Betsy was somewhat worrying to the two besties.

They would have been even more worried had they seen the way his eyes flashed with a ring of fire and turned black as night, and how the smile turned into a cruel smirk when his eyes rested on Betsy's back.

But they didn't. So they weren't.

"So, let's get this thing goin'." Ryan suggested, fiddling with his book. "What exactly do you want me to do, again?"

"Wave some holy water. Yell 'The power of Christ COMPELS you!' a couple of times. Say some prayer or something. I dunno. I'm not religious. Cor, what do you think?"

"I think that you've seen 'Just Like Heaven' waaaay too many times." Corrie commented.

"I'm not a priest." Ryan explained again petulantly, following Betsy into the bathroom.

"That means nothing to me." Betsy pointed out, grabbing his Bible and holding it to keep him from fidgeting with it, not noticing the clean, empty sink. No broken glass, water, or blood in sight.

"I can get married and have kids if I want to," He explained with a particular look on his face, "And I don't do the whole holy water/exorcism thing. I'm not even ordained yet!"

"They why are you here if you can't actually help?" Betsy asked bluntly, confused.

"Because you asked me to be!" He threw his hands up, exasperated.

"That's retarted!" Betsy retorted. The other three looked at her, confused. "What? I was talking to my cousin from Ohio and she doesn't know 'retarded' doesn't have two t's. I thought it was funny and it stuck! Stop looking at me like that, retarts!"

"You know what? I'm gonna go. I don't think you really need me here. You said yourself that this is silly. You'll be fine. It was good seeing you guys. Becky, Corry." He nodded at the two girls, saving their friend for last, locking eyes with her. "Betsy."

"Whatever. See ya, Ryan." Betsy bit off, stomping into Becky's room to flop on her bed and sulk, tossing the book down next to her.

"Bye, Ryan. Sorry we had to bother you with this." Corrie apologized with an eyeroll in Betsy's direction.

"Bye, Ryan. Thanks for trying." Becky added.

"Later." And then he was gone.

"You still have his Bible!" Becky realized upon turning around to see Bets still sprawled out over her blankets, the book lying next to her outstretched hand.

"Shit! I mean, God! NO! I don't mean that, either! Oh, I'm going to hell..." Betsy exclaimed, hopping up and yanking the door open, launching herself out of the room with a shout of "RYAN!" only to be met with the still, empty hallway. "Wow. He's fast."

She went back into the room, cradling the book delicately, as if it might break.

"Must've just missed him. I'll just give it back tomorrow morning."

"This is just like 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.' Maybe there are Knicks tickets in it!" Becky suggested.

"But I hate volleyball! And you hate volleyball! Why would you want Knicks tix?"

"Uh, eBay! Duh!"

"Both of you know that the Knicks are a basketball team, right?"

"Yeah, right. Next you're gonna try to tell me it was the GERMANS who bombed Pearl Harbor!" Betsy guffawed but gradually stopped at Corrie's expression. "No shit? Well, there's a reason I only swim..."

"A complete lack of hand-eye coordination?" Becky suggested sweetly.

"Hah! You're one to talk, Miss Nose in a Book!"

"Hey! I played soccer, thank you very much!"

"In the first grade!"

"So? It still counts!"

"It does not!"

"Does, too!"

"Does NOT!"

"Does TOO!"

"AGH! I can't sleep with you tonight! Go curl up with your soccer ball!"

"Go curl up with your tiny Speedo!"

"That's a great idea! Maybe I will!"

"Go for it!"

"Fine! I'm gone!"

"Then why aren't you leaving?"

"I AM! God, Becks, give me a second!"

"Nobody's going anywhere." Corrie cut in soothingly. "Just calm down and we'll start a movie or something."

"I have homework! Which, actually, I should go see Tyler for anyway. So I'm going to head out. I'll be home late. Later. Later-ish. Maybe." Betsy went on, grabbing her tote.

"Bets..." Corrie whined.

"Leave me alone! If I want to go make sweet, sweet love to my boyfriend I'm allowed! It's not illegal!"

"You really _aren't_ religious, are you?" Becky commented.

"Can it, retart!"

"Make me!"

"ARGH! I'M LEAVING!"

"Be safe!" Becky called as Betsy stormed out, tote swinging madly.

* * *

"Tormentor." Ryan greeted John as he came back from the girls' room.

"Hey man. Where were you?" The skinnier guy asked, hunched over some project or another spread out on his desk.

"Went to see Betsy and Corrie about something stupid." Ryan didn't elaborate.

"H-how were they?" John asked, feigning casual.

"Pregnant."

"_What_!" John asked, unused to hearing Ryan joke.

"Kidding." Ryan chuckled, sounding different than John had ever heard him. "You really care for Corrie, don't you?" He asked, crossing his arms and fixing John with a smirk.

"Ye-No! I mean, we're just friends. That's all."

"No need to sound so defensive about it, Johnny!" Ryan's voice had changed somehow since his entrance, his eyes had grown colder. In an instant he was behind John, eyes black as night, voice and countenance completely changed, the facade of Ryan Hawkini instantly melting away.

Chase Collins leaned in, whispering in John's ear. "What if I told you I had a way for you to get her to love you – to look at you the way she looks at Parry – a way for you to be with her – forever?"


	33. Chapter 33

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant or She's the Man.

* * *

CHAPTER 33:

Betsy returned to Becky's dorm within ten minutes, pouting.

"Stupid Tyler's out with even stupider Reid somewhere." She offered as an explanation when Becky opened the door to admit her.

"Truce?" Becky offered as Betsy stalked past her grumpily.

"Truce. I guess." Betsy sulked, dropping John Mayer at the foot of Becky's bed with a _thunk_ and flopped down across Corrie, who was still sprawled out across Becky's bed. "So what's the what, girls?"

"I made out with Pogue." Corrie blurted out.

"I asked what's new, not what I already know. Jeez."

"How could you possibly know we made out in his family's old house?"

"That aspect eluded me. But how could you not have? All that sexual tension... you could cut it with a chainsaw."

"You mean with a knife?" Becky asked.

"Nope – have you been in the same room as them? It's so saturated with sexual tension that a chainsaw might not even be enough kill, much less, like, _over_kill."

"Well, there's sexual tension between Reid and you and you haven't made out with him... have you?" Becky pointed out.

"Not recently." Betsy replied offhandedly before turning her bright eyes back to Corrie. "So? How was it?"

"Fast. It just felt like we were moving really fast and I got all caught up in the moment and it was just... fast. I mean, Kate JUST left. I still feel weird with any romance or relationship there, ya know? Like he's not over her. And I don't know if I'm ready for the kind of relationship I think he would expect."

"You feel like a rebound girl?" Betsy asked, knowing this wasn't the case but feeling the need to ask anyway.

"No, not at all... it's just, I'm not sure he's over Kate. They were together a long time, and she left him for some reason he still won't share with me... I just feel like they're still attached somehow."

"Has he talked to her since she left?" Becky asked.

"Not that I know of..."

"Maybe they need to. For closure. For your sake." Becky suggested.

"Maybe... I dunno." Corrie rubbed a hand across her face tiredly. Betsy immediately began rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

"We all need a girl's night, I think." Betsy declared.

"I'll get the ice cream. 'She's the Man' should be under the bed, Cor." Becky made a vague hand gesture somewhere behind her, her head already in the freezer searching for the Ben & Jerry's.

Corrie reached for the bed skirt and lifted it gently. As she did, a spider with long, spindly legs skittered out, brushing her finger. With a small cry, Corrie let the pink material drop and scrambled into a sitting position, knocking Betsy off kilter and onto the floor.

"Spider! Big spider! From under the bed!"

"God, do I always have to be the man in this relationship? Betsy asked rhetorically before righting herself and going to the other side of the bed where the spider had startled her friend.

"Cor, there's no spider here." She announced, looking around the floor and lifting the bed skirt. "But I _did_ find 'She's the Man.' Becks, you got any popcorn?"

"I figured you'd have some. We have to go over to get the TV anyways."

"I'll go get it." Corrie volunteered. "Maybe you'll have found that spider by the time I get it back here."

"We'll look real hard." Betsy rolled her eyes.

* * *

By the time Corrie returned with the small television, pajamas for her and Betsy, her calculus text book, complete with her half-finished homework, and two bags of microwave popcorn, Betsy and Becky had settled themselves in with their favorite ice creams and had restarted their discussion of soccer players vs. swimmers.

"Aw, Mom, you brought everything! But what about my bedtime story?" Betsy teased. Corrie opened her mouth to respond but before a sound passed her lips turned on her heel and headed back to her and Betsy's room. "Aw, Cor, I was only joking! Come back with my PJ's!"

Corrie returned a moment later, still carrying everything. She set it on the wooden floor and immediately took her new addition from the top of her pile, paging through the thin, obviously aged book.

"Ah. The old Chronicles of Paganism! I almost forgot we were reading that. A classic bedtime story." Betsy rubbed her hands together as Corrie sank to the bed, whispering to herself.

"What about spiders?" Becky asked, reading her lips.

"There was something about spiders in here somewhere and it just seems kinda creepy. I mean, we start spending time with the Sons and suddenly there's spiders everywhere and broken glass in our overflowing sink?"

"Agreed. Definitely creepy. Magically creep-ilicious." Betsy agreed, giving her ice cream one last mournful look before putting it back in the freezer part of Becky's mini-fridge. "I don't even want to eat ice cream now. And I love ice cream!" She got up from Becky's bed and began fiddling with the TV, plugging it in and sliding the DVD in, muttering about the 'tough crowd.'

Soon the dulcet tones of Amanda Bynes filled the room, yet did little to dispel the tension in the air.

The girls read all through the book that night, until they could no longer put off sleep. By then, Corrie had forgotten the spider that got away and simply curled up next to Becky, falling asleep in her clothes. Betsy took the extra bed and soon they had all drifted off in the soft glow of the TV.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Corrie awoke. The TV was still on, Becks and Bets were still asleep, and the Chronicles of Paganism still had her finger securely folded within its pages, holding her place at the description of the spider creation spell.

For a moment, she thought her or Becky's phone vibrating had woken her. As she felt movement again, she sighed with relief, pulling back the blanket she and Becky were sharing only to stifle a scream.

Spiders were crawling all over her and Becky's still form. Within seconds her self-control broke, and a scream made its way past her throat.

Becky and Betsy remained still as death, even as the spiders grew in numbers, their long legs scrabbling over Becky's skin, through her hair, into her ears. Corrie's screams came freely, terror freezing the blood in her veins as she stumbled out of the bed, her legs caught in the bed sheets.

As she fell on the spider-infested floor, she saw what the spiders were doing to Betsy. They were swarming over her body as well, angry red bites swelling on her face, her throat, her breasts. Their webs covered her hair and eyelashes, and as Corrie watched, horrified, they burrowed through her belly button, sending black blood running over the bed sheets and racing across her toned stomach like lightning.

Corrie's screams did nothing to keep the spiders on the floor from her, and in a moment she was covered as well, feeling their hairy legs carry their prickly bodies down her throat as she screamed, trying to smash as many as possible with the book still clenched in her hand. Becky and Betsy slept on, oblivious of their black blood or of Corrie's screams.

* * *

At the same time across town, Pogue awoke, sweat dripping off his body, breathing shallow. The image of Corrie, covered in spiders was burned into his memory. On instinct he reached for his cell phone, speed dialing Caleb.

The words he would have said died on his lips as the line connected. He heard Caleb's sharp intake of breath, knowing they were seeing the same thing.

A darkling of Ryan Hawkini reached out toward the Sons, dead mouth open in a silent scream.

* * *

**A/N (sorry for the length of it)**

Hey guys! Like the ending to this chapter? I had soooo much fun writing it. The real Corrie HATES spiders.

I want to warn you all that this may be the last update on Found Out for a while. Second semester starts up on Monday and I'll be taking 18 credit hours and may be doing the school musical along with work, so time will be short. I'll do my best to update more!

I hate to seem so pathetic and all, but I'm begging for reviews. I went a really long time without posting, and I know it's kinda hard to get into a story when it has been so long between updates, but I'm asking for you to please take the time to tell me what you think. Random reviews make me feel like it's worth continuing this story. And they guilt me into updating.

Of course, it's kinda hard for me to just write. I tend to need inspiration. Soooo... I'm asking this of you wonderful readers: tell me stories. Cute little romantic blurbs in your reviews, if you have any. If not, that's fine, too. But nothing is as inspiring as being in love or hearing your friend/reader/character is in love. Who knows - maybe your blurb will be included in or tweaked to fit Found Out's next chapter!

Thanks so much, you guys. You mean the world to me. Talk to you soon.


	34. Chapter 34

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant. Or Oprah.

* * *

CHAPTER 34:

"Oh, my God. What's going on? Haven't seen THIS many cops here since Grozdan's dad dropped him off. Is there another foreign diplomat's kid transferring in?" Betsy asked the next morning, spotting the police cars outside as she and Becky walked down to Starbucks.

"Not that I know of..." Becky said, craning her neck to see around Betsy. "We'll know soon enough." She pointed to Provost Higgins, who had appeared outside his office looking flustered. They were both surprised to see Sarah following him, a look of unease on her pretty face. She caught sight of them and the frown melted as she shot them a small smile and a wave. They returned it, and as soon as Provost Higgins was fully occupied with the police she came over to them.

"What's goin' on?" Betsy asked without preamble.

"I'm not really supposed to say, but the cops found a body down by Marblehead. They haven't identified him, but they think it was a Spenser kid. They found him floating down in some underwater cave." Sarah shared gravely with a shiver.

"Why are they thinking Spenser?" Becky asked shrewdly.

"Found him in the uniform." Sarah shared, looking a delicate shade of green. "They want to know if anybody's gone missing. They want to interrogate students."

"Yikes." Betsy murmured. "I need a coffee after hearing that. Sarah, want to join?" She asked, already walking toward the barista.

"Wish I could. I have to get back to work." She gave them a half smile, pointing back at the provost. "I'm his student secretary." She rolled her eyes.

"Then take one to go! Please, my treat. You gave us all this good information and everything. And we haven't hardly hung out at all since Nicky's, and that was ages ago!"

"Yeah. Please, Sarah?" Becky added her weight to the argument.

"What do _you_ mean? You weren't even _at_ Nicky's!" Betsy pointed out, giving Becky a look. "But... this is even more reason for you to go get coffee with us! Because you and Becks have hardly hung out at all!"

"Just say yes or she's going to stand here and beg you to all day, thereby wasting way more time than it would take to get some Starbucks." Becky pointed out. Betsy nodded furiously.

"Pleeeeease?"

"Okay, fine! One cup of coffee. To go." Sarah smiled at them, turned to check on the provost and shrugged. "He'll be busy for a while, anyway."

* * *

The girls were impressed by how well Sarah got along with their crazy antics and ridiculous jokes. It surprised them how quickly they accepted her into their group. Although she hadn't gone to the same public schools as they had growing up, she had come from a similar school system and could relate to them in a way very different than, say, Kira Snyder might. She was taking many of the same advanced placement classes as them, and confessed to wanting to join the paper but being afraid nothing she wrote was good enough.

By the end their coffee break (which lasted about a half hour later than they had promised) the three were already planning a study group later that night and Becky had invited her to be a guest writer for the next issue of the school paper. They finally let her go, sending her back with a coffee for the provost to explain her absence.

"I really like Sarah." Betsy confessed as she and Becks made their way back up to their dorms.

"Me too. And I usually don't like people buddying up to us." Becky smiled in a bemused sort of way. "You, her, and Cor are like the Daughters of Ipswich."

"We are!" Betsy joined in on Becky's giggles. "We just need to get Reid to settle down with you!" Betsy cackled.

"Riiiight." Becky chuckled. "Garwin. Settle down."

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? She can also dream about being stranded on a deserted island with all four of them and having to huddle together to keep warm and only having one thing to so for fun–"

"Please God stop there. I do NOT want to know what your perverted mind went with that." Becky stopped her.

"I obviously was going to say go bowling with coconuts. What did YOU think I was going to say?" Betsy taunted with a Cheshire cat grin.

"You're a bad influence on my poor innocent mind, you know that?"

"Yep. But so is Oprah. How come you don't take notes when _I_ talk?"

"Because you're not a syndicated talk show host with their own book club, magazine, and charitable foundations. Oprah built a school, you know." Becky rattled off.

"Yeah, then hired a pedophile to run it or something! That made me really sad. I remember when it was on the news." Betsy frowned, remembering. Poor Oprah. And poor Oprah's hand-picked students in Africa.

They were silent for a few minutes, until they reached Becky's room.

"Corrie... time to get up... we have a coffee for you..." Becky called softly through the door, opening it quietly.

When they had left, Corrie had been curled into the fetal position, asleep. With the look of the bed, the bags under her eyes, and a few bruises on poor Becky, she hadn't slept well, and the girls decided to let her catch a few more zzz's. However, with only a half hour before classes started, sleeping beauty would have to call it quits if she wanted enough time to shower.

They were surprised to find her already awake and dressed, poring over The Chronicles of Paganism. She gave a start at hearing Becky's voice, dropping the book, and in a moment had both of them in a tight, desperate hug.

"Becks! Bets!" She looked awful as she hugged them, nearly spilling Starbucks on all three of them.

"Wow, weird alert. Remember the limit that's been placed on group hugs?" Betsy pointed out, extricating herself from her friend's arm. "What's going on?"

"I just had a creepy nightmare...." Corrie explained, taking the coffee and keeping an elbow linked with Becks'.

"Did one of us die again?" Betsy slumped. It was usually her to get whacked in Corrie's dreams.

"No. There were spiders. They were all burrow-y and creepy and crawly and gross and all over you. Then me." All three of them shivered. It would have been funny if they didn't know the possible implications of the dream.

"Well, let's look at this rationally. We're being stalked and threatened by an evil witch out to hurt our boys and/or us. Ergo, we should stick close to our boys. Becks, I dunno if it would be safer for you to be near them-slash-us or farther away..." Betsy decided, trailing off into deep thought as the gravity of their situation settled over them like a blanket.

"We're not normal anymore..."

* * *

**A/N**

Hello all! This is just a little something to hold you all over until the next major update. Hope you like!


	35. Chapter 35

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: The baby mamas, plot, John, and Ryan belong to me. Other than that, it's Covenant, Van Helsing, or Abbot & Costello. Also a little biology humor for all you Bio/Pre-med students like myself.

* * *

The girls were jumpy all day, most notably Corrie. Betsy freaked out when her professor slammed his hand down on a spider crawling across his chalkboard (incidentally toward her). Becky about peed her pants when the door to her classroom (which was directly behind her) slammed shut without any provocation. And Corrie swore she saw someone hanging from one of the trees in the forest separating the parts of the school as she was walking to class.

The boys weren't fairing much better. They all had enormous, dark circles under their eyes from their underground meeting at 3 AM, and were all grumpy at the results.

"_I felt it." Tyler looked up from his book as Pogue and Caleb swept down the steps with a flurry of urgency and dust motes, and just a hint of panic._

"_Me too." Reid, for once serious, admitted freely, looking grave from his seat of stone. _

"_Did you see him?" Caleb asked, authority and desperation saturating his tone._

"_Chase?" Tyler's demeanor tightened perceptively, his hands clenching to match the narrowing of his eyes._

"_No. That kid… what's his name. Hawk-something. He was a darkling." Pogue explained, suppressing a shudder._

"_I just felt it. I didn't see anything. I was having a weird dream, though…" Tyler trailed off in thought._

"_About?" Pogue prompted irritably, annoyance masking his fear._

"_I dunno. I forget. I just remember it was weird and about Betsy…"_

"_You're connecting your wet dreams about her to Chase? Fuck that." Reid scoffed._

"_He could be after her. She could be in danger." Tyler shot back. "We have to tell her."_

"_No." Caleb said sharply. "That's part of our Covenant. The silence. We only tell the one, to keep it in the family. Don't tell her unless you're going to marry her. No one else can know."_

"_But she's in danger! You told Sarah!" Tyler argued._

"_Yeah, and I told Kate. It's not a good idea, man. You haven't been dating her that long. You can't know that she's the one for you, that you're gonna stay together." Pogue pointed out quietly._

"_Then you already broke the Covenant, so why can't I?"Tyler's belligerence was unusual, but not uncalled for._

"_She swore she wouldn't tell, and you know what swearing to a witch means."Pogue's face was hard. _

"_People who really wanted to have broken that magic in the past, Pogue. It's not a full-proof guarantee." Reid pointed out softly._

"_Do you really think Kate will ever want to tell anyone about us? You think she wouldn't just forget Ipswich and everything in it, including me? That she hasn't already moved on?" Pogue's voice was bitter._

"_You want us to trust the Old Magic but you can't have a little faith in Betsy?" Tyler glared. "What are we supposed to do? Just let him kidnap her? What about Corrie! And Sarah!" He rounded on Caleb, dropping the book from his lap. "You were only dating like a week. You told her." He accused pleadingly._

"_And maybe I shouldn't have." Caleb's conviction in the statement sounded hollow even to himself. "But this is different. We don't know anything. We haven't seen Chase at all, and we don't know how he relates to Hawkini. We can't warn them when we don't know anything."_

"_Then let's get reading. He can't hurt them, Caleb."Pogue's voice was low, forbidding it from happening, as if by his will alone he could prevent any harm from befalling them. _

"_So we don't tell them, at least until we know more. Fair?" Caleb petitioned. The boys responded with curt nods, and with that their eyes darkened and books flew from the shelves, and they settled in for a long night._

After all that time searching, they had found nothing, and had been prevented from seeing their girls by everything from a particularly rainy morning to separate swim practices (Coach hadn't wanted the boys to be distracted by the girls with their sectional, state, and national meets coming up, and vice versa). By lunchtime, they were all a little antsy.

It was with great relief that both the girls and the boys found themselves in line together at lunch. In fact, it was with a bit too much enthusiasm that Betsy greeted Tyler, which was received with a few _harrumphs_ from the lunch ladies and more than a few jealous scoffs from the surrounding teenage girls.

"What was that for?" He asked, pulling away.

"I missed you." She smiled and pulled him in for another kiss.

Pogue and Corrie met with an intimate hug, and even Reid and Becky had a moment where they locked eyes, communicating silently before looking away and moving on down the lunch line. When they were all loaded up with provisions, they found a table and sat, chattering amiably. They were soon joined by Sarah and Caleb, who both looked grave and serious.

"Caleb!" Tyler hissed, glaring at his older 'brother.'

"She knew." Caleb whispered lowly, and with that the cheerful, light vibe of the table evaporated.

"Knew what?" Betsy asked with barely-concealed hysteria.

"She knew that I hate peas. I tried to hide it, but she saw right through me." Caleb's joke fell flat, but they all laughed anyways, watching the opposite gender for a reaction. Their fake laughter subsided soon after, and an uneasy quiet descended over the group as they all fell into eating, watching each other carefully.

Until Becky screamed.

* * *

"Jesus! Keep it down. It was just my foot!" Reid smirked. Becky's glaring red blush began to subside as the stares of their fellow students gradually left the table, and eventually she even had enough dignity back to pull her knee-high back up to where it belonged, all the while glaring at Reid's smirking face.

"It felt like a spider." Becky ground out, teeth clenched.

"Arachnophobic?" Reid raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that." Corrie set her fork down, having hardly touched her salad.

"I'm really done eating. I have a test to study for." Betsy said a few seconds later, feeling not so hungry with all the adrenaline pumping through her system. Her and Corrie started gathering their things, and Becky followed suit.

"I'll go, too. I have some stuff to finish up with the paper." Becky added.

"Okay, well, I guess we'll see ya!" Betsy smiled falsely as the three of them left the cafeteria, hunger far from their minds.

"What is it you suppose they know?" Becky asked immediately.

"The Putnams, obviously." Betsy muttered, eyes scanning every face in the hallway. "Do you suppose he's here, right now? Watching us?"

"Who says it's a he?" Becky asked.

"The book. Remember? Only sons."

"That's creepy. Any guy here could be out for our blood."

"Or our virginity."

Becky and Corrie both shot Betsy a confused look.

"What? We don't know what he's after. He could be out to impregnate all us innocent young virgins. Make us his baby mamas. His love slaves. His recessive dominatrixes. Dominatrixi?"

"Recessive?"

"Dominatrixi?"

"Well, what else is the opposite of dominant? I bet Gregor Mendel would be okay with me being his recessive dominatrix. And dominatrixi is the plural of dominatrix."

"You are so far from making sense it's painful." Corrie commented.

"And Gregor Mendel was a holy man. They're not so big on the dominatrixi, as far as I know." Becky added.

"Hey, it's always the tight-laced ones."

"Straight-laced, you mean? And not the monks! They can't have sex, remember?"

"You can when you're just a friar." Corrie pointed out. "Remember in _Van Helsing_?"

"Mmm. Hugh Jackman. He can be my werewolf-y hunk of love any time." Becky smiled, dazed by the absolute perfection of any thought of Hugh Jackman.

"I wonder if werewolves are real if witches are?" Betsy asked idly, which brought them all back to their sobering situation.

"So what do we do about… everything?" Becky asked.

"I don't know." Corrie admitted.

"Should we tell them we know?"

"They obviously don't want us to know, so maybe we should just keep it to ourselves. I'm sure they'd tell us if we were in danger."

"You make a good point. They are guys, but even they couldn't be that stupid. They would tell us if anything bad could happen." Betsy reasoned.

"Exactly." Becky backed her up, already feeling slightly better.

"So let me get this straight. We know that they know but we can't tell them that we know too because then they'd know that we knew what they don't want us to know." Betsy broke it down.

"And Who's on first." Becky added dryly.

"Yes. I think so. So we're going to keep it to ourselves. We're probably just being paranoid." Corrie contributed.

"It's not paranoia if someone is really out to get you."

"Shut up, Becks. Really not a helpful thought. How about 'I'm sure we'll remain virgins for as long as we want and will only give ourselves away fully to that one special someone.' Wait. Actually, that sounds bad, too. How about 'Let's go pretend to get drunk and dance like strippers tonight at Nicky's'."

"We have a study date tonight, remember?" Becky reminded her.

"Oh yeah! With Sarah!" Betsy's face lit up with an idea. "Let's corner her and pump her for information!"

"That sounds so dirty." Becky pointed out, slapping a hand to her head. "You are such a pervert, and you have corrupted my sweet, innocent brain. Out, Betsy thoughts, OUT!"

"Don't hump the messenger."

"WHAT?"

"I said don't hurt the messenger."

"I need a drink."

"Becks, you don't drink."

"Maybe I should start."

"With a mo-hee-toe?"

"Why do you have to say it like that?"

"Like what! That's how you say it! Mo-hee-toe!"

"Betsy, you are a moron."

"Ah, so you'd rather have a slippery nipple."

"Can't we forget that time we were looking up cocktails? The slippery nipple really was a dirty find for a book of mix drinks."

"YOU'RE a dirty find for a book of mix drinks!"

"You're redic."

"Well, I guess that could be argued. Feels good though, doesn't it? Silly arguments instead of 'is our boyfriends' witchy brother going to drop in and rape or bind or kill us?' Things are back to normal and we were just freaking out for nothing."

"Yep. Seems like, but I guess we'll find out tonight with Sarah." Corrie murmured, following Betsy and Becky through the halls, wondering just how stupid boys really could be…

* * *

**(A/N)**

Hola, loyal readers!

I type this to you from my new laptop with only two finals seperating me from summer break! I wanted to get this out to you instead of studying (big surprise) and to thank you all for being so great about Found Out being on hiatus. I have had so much support, and that is what keeps me writing. Hopefully you liked this chapter and it made sense. There should be a few more updates soon. Thanks go out to all of you who have reviewed or PM'd me!

With more love than Pogue has for Corrie,

Bella

PS.) If you didn't pick up on this, **FOUND OUT IS OFFICIALLY OFF HIATUS.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: The baby mamas, plot, John, and Ryan belong to me. Other than that, it's Covenant. And a quote taken from (or at least inspired by) Janet Evanovich, though I have absolutely no idea which Stephanie Plum novel I read it in. Also, I think I borrowed an Angel quote from "Waiting in the Wings."

**A/N**

**This chapter contains lemons. You have been warned.**

* * *

CHAPTER 36:

The girls' study night with Sarah went off without a hitch, and when she left around midnight they all felt reasonably confident in what they had studied and more and more comfortable with Sarah. The days that followed were snowy and cold, and when they weren't in classes or at practice, Corrie, Sarah, and Betsy were with their boys, sledding or just cuddling up with cocoa. It should have been relaxing and fun, and it was, for the most part. But every second they spent with the guys had a certain underlying tension to it, as if the Sons were waiting for something. Corrie and Betsy found them looking over shoulders more, keeping an eye on the surrounding area as if expecting an attack at any time. Even Becky had noticed they were more watchful over her in the classes they shared and were making excuses to "get to know her better." Despite all this, the girls remained of the opinion that the boys would protect them from anything coming their way, assuming anything WERE coming their way, and just tried to enjoy themselves.

By Saturday night, after the last swim meet of their senior year, Betsy sat sprawled across a couch at Danvers' manor, her head on Tyler's lap as he played with her hair, still wet from the meet. Pogue, Corrie, and Reid were playing video games, the boys swearing like there was no tomorrow, and Caleb was off somewhere with Sarah. Even Becky, who had been at the meet with the girls to support Spenser, was there, watching and cheering Corrie's character on..

"So… what do we do now? Have you lost interest yet, now that we don't have to see each other all the time?" Betsy asked lightly.

"You caught me. Thank God, I thought I'd have to keep this charade up for months at least…" Tyler joked with a light kiss.

"I'm actually quite serious." Betsy asked, brown eyes focused on his face, watching him.

"No, of course I'm not sick of you. I could never be sick of you." He reassured her, meaning it.

"Do you think… I dunno. Do you think you can love somebody and go back to being friends? Do you think it works that way? The whole 'Let's just be friends' thing?" She asked, studying his face.

"What are you saying? That you want to break up?" Tyler's absolute calmness betrayed his emotions just as much as his suddenly tortured eyes.

"No. Not at all. I love you." She blinked at her forwardness. She hadn't meant for THAT to slip out. "I was just thinking of John and Corrie. She's been texting him a lot lately, mostly late at night when she thinks I'm asleep. She knows it bothers me."

"Wait, back up. You love me? Isn't it my job to say that first?" He asked, slightly panicked.

"Not if you don't feel it. I do, so I said it." She said, mater of factly.

"Well I feel it too. I just didn't want to scare you away or something."

"Do I honestly seem like the kind of girl who just runs out when the L word comes up? Besides, with how good you playing with my hair feels I doubt I could even wiggle a pinky toe, much less run away." She smirked up at him. "Although you are the first one to ever say it to me and mean it. You know, assuming you ever DO say it." She teased.

"I do. I love you." He declared softly, blue eyes locked on her smiling brown ones.

"I don't think we can have kids, though. It would break my heart to have your children and have them have my brown eyes." Her mouth up quirked up.

"It would kill me to have children with anyone else." He promised, kissing her soundly and proving that, despite what she had said, she was capable of sitting up and returning the kiss with all the fervor of a young woman in love.

* * *

"It's getting late." Corrie finally said with a yawn and a look at the clock below the TV. 1:43 AM. "We should get home."

"Your ride is asleep." Tyler whispered, laughing as Betsy shifted in his lap.

"Just stay here." Caleb offered. "We've got literally tens of guest rooms. They guys are staying."

"Well…" Corrie shot a look at where Becky had been sitting earlier, only to remember she had been asleep and tucked into some guest room since 11. A night owl Becks was not. "Okay."

With that, Tyler carefully scooped Betsy up in his arms, chuckling at her murmur of "Daddy, I'm sleepy."

"She does that. Her dad used to carry her in to bed when she fell asleep in the car when she was little." Corrie explained, blushing for her friend.

"Or maybe she just calls me Daddy when we're alone." Tyler suggested as he left the room, leaving a shocked Corrie behind.

"Come on. Your turn." Pogue scooped Corrie up from her standing position with an oomph and carried her up to what had become 'his' room over the years.

He set her gently on the edge of the bed as she yawned. She watched sleepily as he rolled her socks off, helped her shrug out of her sweater, then pulled gently on her jeans, yanking them softly from her legs, pressing kisses to her bare skin. She couldn't help thinking _This is it. This is what I want to fall asleep to every night for the rest of my life._

When he had her pants off, she scooched back, sliding under the covers as he removed his own shirt and climbed in beside her, holding her to his chest and pressing a kiss to her hair. She turned, staring into his eyes, the room lit by the dim glow of the snow outside. She reached out, tracing his features with her fingers, memorizing the angles of his face. His eyes closed as he gave in to the feel of her light touch.

"I love you." He breathed, opening his eyes to gauge her reaction. She smiled at him softly.

"I know." Her lips replaced her finger, pressing feather light kisses to his jaw, his neck, his lips. "I love you, too."

He pulled her in for a deep kiss, his hand sliding down to hold her close, gliding under the hem of her shirt. She shivered at his touch, but instead of pulling away as he had expected she pressed closer to him, tangling her hands through his hair. Encouraged, Pogue's thumb slipped between her panties and her hipbone. She untangled one of her hands from his hair, guiding his hand further.

He pulled back from their kiss, watching her expression for any sign of discomfort. She smiled at him, eyes hooded by lust, kissing him again as she guided his hand still further. Her other hand pulled his face to hers yet again, kissing him as his fingers came in contact with the part of her both of them had been craving.

She felt him press against her, his nimble fingers working expertly, pumping in and out, setting her every nerve ending on fire. She kissed him hungrily as his other hand came up, stroking her erect nipples through her flimsy shirt. She gasped at the contact, spasming as his fingers worked their magic on her. His mouth broke away from hers, closing over her left nipple as his fingers maintained their frantic rhythm below, leaving Corrie breathing hard.

She came in a great rush, her body convulsing as waves of ecstasy washed over her, leaving her muscles weak as a newborn calf.

"How long till I can move again?" She asked breathlessly as his mouth continued its ministrations, switching to her right.

"Soon. You'll be ready for more." He promised, his fingers now pulling at the hem of her shirt. She bit her lip, unsure, before lifting her arms above her head. Seeing her gesture, he lifted the material over her head, gazing down at the goddess below him. She stared up at him through her lashes, waiting for him to make a move, and move he did.

His lips were everywhere at once, biting softly and pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to her moist skin, feeling her stir restlessly. As he was focusing on the sensitive skin behind her ear, he felt her move below him, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. He kicked them off, pausing in his ministrations to check to see if this was what she wanted. Her rapt expression and flushed cheeks betrayed no fear or uncertainty, only longing.

"I want to feel you inside me." She whispered, her voice horse. Pogue didn't need telling twice, and had her panties completely off in moments, tossing them aside to join her other discarded clothes, before throwing back the comforter, letting the cold air wash over her perfect body, gazing at her glowing skin in the moonlight.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There's no rush." He offered one last time. She shook her head firmly, letting him know this was what she wanted.

"I'm on the pill." She whispered as he reached for his pants, assumably to grab a condom from his wallet. "I can't wait, Pogue."

He dropped his pants soundlessly, hovering over her. She reached up slowly, removing his boxers, taking in the sight of him, suddenly unsure. There was no way all of that was going to fit. No way.

He kissed her, deeply, aligning himself with her. As gently as he could, he slid into her waiting wetness, immediately feeling guilty for her whimper of pain as he pushed against her barrier, breaking through. Some part of Pogue's brain registered how significant this was, that she was willing to give herself away to him like this, that she wanted him to be her first. The rest of him was too busy concentrating on the task at hand, his slender fingers wrapped around Corrie's delicate wrists as he began his gentle movements. They made love long and slow, both climaxing together, Corrie with a scream Pogue tried to no avail to muffle with a kiss.

They lay together, intwined in each other, him still inside her as they regained their strength.

"I love you." Pogue whispered hoarsely.

"I love you, too, Romeo." Corrie responded, pulling him tight to her chest.

* * *

It was exactly 3 AM when Pogue's phone rang, jarring him and Corrie out of their exhausted, peaceful sleep.

"Hello?" He asked, eventually fishing it out of his jeans pocket, wondering who would be calling him. Everyone he loved was within walking distance, the most important of whom was in reaching distance and shooting him a questioning look.

"Pogue?" The voice on the other end of the line made Pogue's blood run cold with shock, immediately deflating whatever other plans he might have had for Corrie.

"Kate?"

**

* * *

**

A/N

This is the FIFTH time I've written this chapter, and I think it is the best version by far. Thank you all for your support through the Great Flash Drive Catastrophe and throughout the entirity of Found Out. We're actually getting near the end, I'm rather sorry to say. I've had the end in mind for a while, and it has just been a problem of getting to where we are now so that I can put the wheels in motion to get there. Hope you're all enjoying it enough to leave a review! Sorry for my tantrum in the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter REPOSTED - If not, please don't flame me. I get pissed easily. If you did like it, great. More to come soon!


	37. Chapter 37

**Found Out**

Disclaimer: The baby mamas, plot, John, and Ryan belong to me. Other than that, it's Covenant.

**A/N: **

**IF YOU HAVE NOT RE-READ CHAPTER 36 IN THE LAST 48 HOURS DO THAT FIRST. IT HAS BEEN REPOSTED WITH EDITS AND ADDITIONS.**

* * *

CHAPTER 37:

"Pogue? Can you hear me?" Kate's voice asked. Pogue blinked rapidly, trying to clear his mind of the nightmare he had been having.

"_Will you quit laughing? I'm trying to concentrate." Pogue asked, smiling despite himself. Corrie tried to stifle her giggles and return to leaning against the library balcony, looking as Juliet-like as possible. He quickly sketched with his soft leads from down below, putting the finishing touches on the way her hair fell in her face, her smirk._

_In moments it was finished and he held it up to her._

"_Thank you, Romeo. It's beautiful." She blushed prettily. "Now sign it and come show it to me." She commanded playfully._

"_With love's light wings." He quoted, signing something at the foot of the drawing and beginning to climb the spiral staircase toward love like a schoolboy from his books._

"_Here. Read it." He gently placed the paper in her hands, sliding down to one knee in front of her._

"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

So let's never be apart again.

Please say yes.

_Before she could speak he had slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and pressed a kiss to her knuckles._

_She was crying and nodding by the time he was on his feet and pressing a kiss to her lips. He spun her around, tears forming in his own eyes. Had he even truly known happiness before this moment?_

"_Never let me go!" She laughed, holding on tight. The rising sun through the warped library windows cast bars of light across the couple, bathing them in the light of a new day. Corrie was crying as he spun her, awakening dust motes long asleep in the dusty loft. They rose, dancing in the sunlight, as if they, too, shared in the joy of the couple. _

_He let her down from his embrace, pressing a kiss to her lips. She responded in kind, and he backed her up urgently into the railing she'd been posing, one hand on her waist and the other clasped around her left hand, feeling the hardness of her ring biting into his hand. He pulled back to look at her, imagining her as his bride, before leaning in to kiss her once more, sliding a hand up her skirt. He didn't see the sudden change in her expression as he kissed her hungrily, but some part of him did note that something felt wrong. Without knowing why, fear overtook his joy, and before Pogue could do anything she had slipped from his fingers over the edge of the balcony where he had been pressing into her, kissing her too deeply to realize how far he had been pushing her backwards. She was falling, and it was his fault. Her hands reached for him, and her ring rent a deep gouge in the wooden railing, but neither it nor Pogue did anything to stop her fall. He could only watch as she plummeted, eyes locked with his, her mouth open, screaming his name._

"_And down will come baby, cradle and all..."_

"Y-yeah. Why are you calling me?" He asked, too shocked to bother with decorum. Besides, it was three in the morning and he had just seen the woman he loved die with the ring, currently hidden in his sock drawer at home, around her finger. He had an excuse for his lack of eloquence. That, and Corrie was lying in bed next to him, completely naked and with sex hair to match.

"I, um, I need to talk to you."

"At three in the morning?" He asked, his eyes locked on Corrie's, who was lying next to him, watching him worriedly, pulling the covers up to cover herself. He reached for her, reassuring himself that she was there, was real. Was still his, even if there was no ring to prove it. Yet.

"I need to talk to you. It's important, Pogue." She sounded near tears, and Pogue sighed.

"Kate, what could be this important, you haven't talked to me in three months."

"I'd really rather tell you in person…" She hedged.

"Kate, just tell me now. I'm not coming all the way to New York at three in the morning."

"No. This has to be in person!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" He glared, temper rising.

"Because I need you here NOW!" Corrie scoffed softly, trying to hide it, rolling her eyes. How dramatic.

"No, you don't. I'm… I'm busy." Pogue said vaguely, his thumb rubbing circles on Corrie's flat stomach under the covers.

"Pogue, please. You know I wouldn't ask unless it was something big. Please. Just for a few hours." Her voice dropped to a low plea, reminding him of the last time he had seen her. She was scared then, and scared now.

"Kate, is this about Chase?" He grasped the phone tighter, suddenly wide awake, his thumb frozen.

"No. Pogue, I know he pretty much broke us up, I know you didn't trust me around him, and I know I may have given you reasons to doubt me, but you have to believe that I never slept with him. I thought about it – I even had a dream or two about it – but I love you. I would never have done that to you. You have to believe me." She pleaded "That's what I have to talk to you about. It's about us." She sounded near tears again, and desperate, and it hurt him to hear it.

"Kate, I've… I'm with someone." He heard himself say. "I don't want to get back together."

"Pogue, it's not that… at least, not really…" She broke down into sobs, the kind of crying that cuts right into a person's soul. Something was _wrong_.

"Alright, alright. We can work all that out when I get there. Can you wait until the morning?" He asked soothingly, pulling Corrie close to him. She squirmed away, hiding her expression. She had just shared the most intimate thing two people can share, and he was leaving to go see his ex?

Pogue didn't notice, now intent on his conversation.

"I'd really rather you just come here now… I don't know if I'll have the courage to tell you in the morning."

"Tell me what." He asked, voice still soft and understanding. Corrie blinked back tears. What the hell?

"That I'm pregnant." Kate blurted out, crying in earnest now.

Pogue's world froze at her words, and judging by the look on Corrie's face she had heard it as well.

"W-what?" He asked, watching Corrie, horrorstricken. Without a word to him she got out of bed and started pulling on her clothes, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried her best to hold back sobs. "Cor, wait."

"No, Pogue. Just no." Her voice, untouched yet by her tears, cut him like a knife. "Talk to Kate."

"Pogue?" Kate asked on the phone, and for a moment he considered hanging up on her, pretending it was just some sick joke. Then Corrie's back was to him and she was slipping – stalking – out the door. Pogue ran a hand through his hair, wondering which girl he should go after first. Crying girls always fried his brains.

"Kate, I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm leaving now."

"Take your time. Three's a crowd." A familiar voice crooned lazily over the phone, freezing the sweat still covering Pogue's body.

"Chase." He spit out venomously. "If you hurt her or that baby I'll fucking kill you."

"Where have I heard that before?" Chase pondered mockingly. "Oh, yeah. The _last_time we went through this. Better get here fast if you want to go through with that promise." Chase suggested. "Tick tock."

Pogue was out of bed and pulling on his shirt before he even realized Chase had hung up. He dropped the phone into the rumpled covers without a thought, never noticing the caller ID read HOME. In seconds he was out of Danvers Manor, on his motorcycle on his way to New York, never imagining that Kate could have already been back in Ipswich and waiting at his apartment for him when Chase took her.

* * *

**A/N**

Wow! Big twist there, eh? Anyone expecting THAT to happen? Hopefully not!

I'm shooting for 50 chapters and already have Chapters 38-47 written out, so expect this story to start picking up. I didn't want to lose momentum during the end, so I've been holding out on you guys - hopefully it makes the climax of the story worth it! Love you all! R & R!


	38. Chapter 38

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. And Ryan. And Tormentor. But other than that, it's all Covenant. Props to Winnie the Pooh, Converse, Disney/Dumbo, and GI Joe.

* * *

CHAPTER 38:

"Bets. Bets. Wake up." Corrie shook her friend gently, receiving no response. "Bets! BETS!" Finally giving the other a girl a hard shove, Betsy moved, rolling away from Corrie and closer to the sleeping body beside her, muttering something that sounded like "That's enough for tonight, Ty."

"Elizabeth Rose Swann! You get your butt out of this bed this instant!" Corrie hissed, pushing harder. Betsy fell from the bed with an "oomph!" and landed in a pile of sheets, blinking owlishly.

"WHAT!" She hissed back, glancing at the sleeping Tyler. He shifted but didn't wake, though his eyes moved rapidly below his lids, lost in a dream. At Corrie's look all anger disappeared from her face. "Oh Jesus, what happened? Oh God, who died?" Her eyes filled with tears. Betsy knew the look on Corrie's face. It was the look her parents had when the news had come about her grandmother's death, her dogs' deaths, her neighbor's death. It was a universal look followed inevitably by the worst possibly news.

"Can you take us back to the dorms? Pogue might be getting back with Kate." Corrie explained shortly, bitterly, wiping away tears.

"WHAT? Why?" Betsy hissed back, scrabbling to her feet and pulling on her Chuck Taylors from the end of the bed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Corrie dismissed it, sinking onto the bed next to the amazingly still asleep Tyler. She jumped when he sat up, gasping, covered in cold sweat, his eyes searching desperately around him.

"_You are so beautiful." Tyler whispered, running a hand through her wet hair._

"_You're not too hard on the eyes, either." Betsy pointed out with a grin and a glance down at his physique, looking ghastly pale in the light of the swimming pool before leaning in for another kiss. The chlorinated water lapped gently against the couple as they embraced, Betsy standing on tip toes in the deep water of the Spenser Academy swimming pool. The New England rain pitter-pattered against the stone roof of the building, creating a romantic and secluded feel, perfect for the couple's late night swim._

"_I love you so much." Betsy confessed, eyes closed, still savoring his kisses._

"_God, I love you." He kissed her again, wrapping his arms as tightly around her exposed skin and tugging gently on her swim suit. She smiled into his mouth._

"_Are we ready for this?" He asked._

"_Yes. I'm so ready. As long as it's you. I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my–" She cut off, her head dipping below the water. Tyler chuckled and moved to pull her up, assuming it was one of her jokes, but then she wasn't in his arms. She was in the deep end, arms flailing, screaming his name. He could feel her panic, feel the water seeping into her lungs, choking her._

_Without a thought he took off, swimming to her as quickly as possible without taking his eyes off her. Her screams had stopped, muffled by the water enveloping her._

_He redoubled his efforts. He watched as her arms slowed their flailing. He called her name, choked on the water himself in his effort to swim faster, called for help. He Used. Then her arms stopped completely, and he was no nearer to her. He watched as she sank below the surface, eyes open, staring at him, mouth open, screaming his name._

_A cruel laugh echoed through the cavernous room._

"_Rain, rain, go away. We must drown a witch today..."_

"Ty? Are you okay?" Betsy asked, one shoe on, standing on one foot. For a second he just stared at her with uncomprehending horror, then he was out of the bed and enveloping her in a hug that almost knocked her down. "Tyler, what's wrong. Sweetie, what's wrong?" Betsy asked soothingly, pulling back from his arms to look into those blue, blue eyes. "What did you dream about?"

"N-nothing. I just… I just missed you." His eyes said otherwise. That he was terrified, that he was scared she would be gone when he woke up. Seeing his expression, Corrie felt even worse. Tyler would never get a girl pregnant then find out about it after sleeping with Bets.

"Are you going somewhere?" Tyler asked into Betsy's hair. "Why are you out of bed? And why is Corrie in our room?"

"She needs me. Pogue's making some decisions about Kate just now and Cor just needs to get away for a bit." She explained quietly, touching his face gently.

"Why don't you just go to a different room?" Tyler asked, obviously hoping they would choose that option. Betsy didn't stop to even consult with Corrie before responding.

"If she stays here she'll go see him, and he needs to sort things out with Kate right now. It wouldn't be fair to either of them if that happened." She kissed him. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to come back?"

"I always want you to come back." He gave her a look that made Corrie shift uncomfortably. It was The Look, the one Betsy had been so jealous of weeks ago. The one that said, as clear as day "I love you. I'll do anything for you. I'll die for you." Corrie blinked hard, suddenly a little overwhelmed by everything. Obviously the other girl had been mistaken about the meaning of that look, at least when it came from Pogue. Tyler continued, oblivious of Corrie's near-tears. "Go. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

"I love you." Betsy pressed another kiss to his lips, then extricated herself gently from his arms and pulled on her other shoe, hearing him echo her words. Corrie looked away, surreptitiously scrubbing the tears from her face with her sweater before wrapping it more securely around her, self-conscious of the still-damp material clinging to her chest.

"I'll see you in a few hours, okay?" She confirmed, standing up. He kissed her, an answer in itself.

"Bye." Betsy said her farewells to Ty, then she and Corrie were in the hallway, headed to the room Reid had been carrying Becks towards the night before, Bets wrapping a comforting arm around her heartbroken friend.

* * *

What they saw upon opening the door to the bedroom was something that put all thoughts of their own boys from their minds, instead filling their entire consciousness with complete and utter shock.

There was Becky, tangled up in damp silk sheets, half her body lying on Reid's naked chest, sleeping peacefully. Condom wrappers lay discarded on the floor around them, and Becky's glasses rested neatly on her nightstand. Betsy's mouth dropped open audibly at the sight of Becky's naked form curled around Reid's, his arm wrapped securely around her, his hand resting on her hip.

"HOLY. FUCKING. JESUS." She whispered, eyes wide as saucers. "So this is what Oprah was for."

"And the sex toys under her bed."

"And the always sneaking around."

"And the mystery guy."

"And why she wanted to come to their meet."

"And the handcuffs I noticed around her computer chair last week."

"And the condoms and lube I found in her nightstand." Corrie shot Betsy an incredulous look.

"And you didn't think something like THIS might be going on?!"

"Of course not! It's BECKS! And REID! And LUBE! AND FUCKING FLAVORED CONDOMS!" Betsy whisper-shrieked. "HOW COULD I HAVE POSSIBLY IN A MILLION YEARS SEEN THIS COMING?!"

"I have no idea." Corrie admitted, turning once again to face the portal into bizzarro world.

"Do you think we should, uh, leave them?" Betsy asked nervously, eyeing Reid's physique. "They look plenty comfortable to me."

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?" Becky's voice startled them, seeing as she remained frozen in the same position. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Really? It looks like you and Reid were going at it like fucking bunnies!" Betsy pointed out, torn between gleeful and for some reason outraged. Perhaps because Becks was getting some, perhaps because it was 3:30 in the morning and she was tired and away from Tyler, perhaps because Corrie hurting was like she herself was hurting, or perhaps some variety therein.

"Look, we are in a stable, committed relationship. There's nothing wrong with making love when it is _making love_, not just fucking." Becky explained, blushing as she sat up, covering herself with the sheets. She placed her glasses back on her face, looking completely out of place with them on in the room that smelled of sweat and sex. Corrie glared, biting her lip to keep those stupid tears from falling even more.

"Becks, Pogue and Cor are breaking up. Get in the car, we're going home to comfort her." Betsy commanded, suddenly drained by the day's festivities. Corrie tasted blood, but kept biting down. _I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant._

"We have a rule that we're both awake when one of us leaves. It's a trust thing." Becky explained defensively, pulling on clothes under her sheet.

"Too bad. We are NOT going to be around for that goodbye. We," Betsy gestured to the three of them, "are leaving NOW."

"Don't you want to get Sarah to comfort you? I can wake Reid up to say goodbye, you can get Sarah, and we can all go back together." Becky proposed, not meeting Corrie's eye.

Betsy shot Corrie a look. Seeing how close her friend was to crumbling, she hurried to get things moving. "Okay. Yeah, whatever. We'll go do… that." Betsy wrinkled her nose in disgust. "But for the love of God, if there is another condom wrapper on this floor I will personally… do something bad to the both of you."

She turned and stalked out, her arm linked with Corrie's

"So are we going to go get Sarah?" Betsy asked, trying to regain a casual air, an effort somewhat ruined by her eyebrows hiding somewhere near her hairline, raised in disbelief and concern.

"Uh, I guess. Yeah, she knew them both really well. Maybe she can, I dunno, explain them or something. I just…" Corrie trailed off, the words "I'm pregnant" repeating through her head like pink elephants in that cracked out Disney movie.

"Okay. It's gonna be okay, Cor. I have a fireplace poker in my car for situations such as this." She reassured her, trying to remember where Caleb's room was. Cor, knowing her friend's navigating face, took the lead, heading away from the guest rooms.

"And what kind of situation is this, pray tell?" She asked. _I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant…_

"Situations where I have to kill someone." Betsy responded seriously, white hot anger coloring her voice. Corrie said nothing and bit her lip.

"Here we are." She broke the silence a few minutes later, coming up upon a closed door. They cautiously pushed open the door, having learned their lesson last time. Instead, they found Caleb and Sarah already awake and clothed in PJ's, Caleb with his head resting innocently in Sarah's lap and her crooning reassurances in a soothing whisper.

"Is everything alright?" Corrie asked, pushing further into the room. Sarah and Caleb jumped, pulling away from each other. Betsy and Corrie were both taken aback by the tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just had a nightmare's all." Caleb responded gruffly, his mind replaying the dream like a movie.

"_Sarah." Caleb murmured, his thumb tracing circles on her flushed cheeks. She smiled and kissed him again._

"_Why can't you stay tonight? I have that dorm room all to myself." She tempted, coaxing him with kisses._

"_I have practice tomorrow. I wouldn't want to wake you." He explained, enjoying her efforts._

"_But you'll be even closer to the pool tomorrow morning. And you'll get to stay with me." She pointed out between kisses._

"_Mmm... you've convinced me." He grinned, pressing his lips to hers again before lithely exiting the car and circling to open her door for her. But she was already out, laughing and running toward the woods that separated the parking lot from the dorms._

_Caleb chuckled at the dancing blonde, reveling in her glowing cheeks and fluttering skirt, her blue eyes luminous in the moon light._

"_Catch me if you can!" She tempted and was gone, flitting through the trees with ethereal grace. He took off after her, agile and powerful, keeping watch over her elfin form. The moonlight glowed in her hair, and for a moment he wondered if she wasn't an angel. But the moment was gone, and suddenly her light was lost, plunging the forest into blackness._

"_Sarah?" He called, immediately on guard. Something felt off. Something in the air... the hint of something familiar... a whisper on the wind..._

_Caleb spun around frantically, trying to find its source. His eyes widened and his heart dropped as the first tendril of smoke crept above the trees. He took off at a sprint toward the hazy golden light blossoming in the direction Sarah had been headed._

_The crackles and pops of wet wood reached him first, then as he broke through the trees into a clearing he felt the waves of heat, throwing his arms to shield himself. Peering around his arms, eyes watering from the smoke, he saw her. Sarah – his Sarah –floating just above the flames at the very heart of the inferno. Her flowing skirt was ripped and starting to smoke, and ash and burns marred her milky skin. Blood flowed freely from some of the worst burns yet no sound escaped her. Her eyes were closed serenely, reminding Caleb sharply of the fire in the Putnam's barn_

_Then suddenly, her eyes snapped open, frantically begged Caleb to save her, to help her, to do anything. Her screams filled the air, undimmed by the thick black smoke. They were beyond fear or pain; they were sheer agony. Caleb doubled over with the sheer pain of hearing it. From his knees, he fixed his watering gaze on her burning form, his eyes glazed over black, willing the flames down. Instead, they grew higher, enveloping her completely, licking her terrified face and making her wails rise in pitch. She choked on the ashes and heat, and in that moment their eyes met and Caleb realized that her mindless shrieks hadn't been mindless at all. They had been his name._

_Sarah's screams scorched his ears and the smell of her burning flesh cauterized his heart as he watched, helpless, Sarah's eyes trained on him until they popped, the vitreous fluid making the fire crackle hungrily. Caleb watched, tears streaming down his face, as she burned._

_All the fight he had ever had in him had left when he heard the familiar voice and felt the hand clamp down on his shoulder._

"_Ashes, ashes, we all fall down..."_

"Caleb?" Betsy asked, pulling him back to the present. "Tyler just had a nightmare, too." She looked as if she were putting some puzzle together in her head, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"He did?" Caleb asked sharply.

"Yeah, and Pogue did, too." Corrie added, seeing where they were going with this. "He woke up when Kate called. She's p-pregnant."

The three other pairs of eyes in the room froze on her, each bugging out in disbelief.

"WHAT?! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT PART!" Betsy shrilled, her mind rapidly wrapping around the idea, her anger from before nothing in comparison. No wonder Cor was so upset.

"Oh no. This is bad. So bad." Caleb muttered, the cogs in his head turning overtime. "Is he still here?"

"He was when I left." Corrie shrugged delicately, once again blinking back tears. Somehow saying out loud made it worse, like having a water balloon hovering over your head then, with just the slightest provocation, it falling and soaking you with ice water that soaked through your skin directly to your heart, freezing it.

"Cor, it's gonna be okay." Betsy went to her, hugging her, her softness a relief to her aching friend.

"I have to go check on him. Stay together." Caleb commanded, somehow still in charge despite Winnie the Pooh pajama pants (which, incidentally matched Sarah's).

"We're going back to the dorms. Corrie can't stay here with _him_." Betsy spit the word as if it were the most vile of curses. "Should Sarah come with us?"

"Yeah, yeah." Caleb blinked rapidly, trying to see the big picture. "Go back to the dorms but stay together. Reid and Tyler will be over as soon as I wake him up."

"Uh, Reid should be awake by now. We went to grab Becky before this." Betsy blushed, and Caleb gave her an uncomprehending look.

"What?"

"They're sleeping together. You didn't know either?" Caleb's eyebrows shot up, but other than that he looked unsurprised.

"It happens." Was all he said before pressing a kiss to Sarah's lips, asked her to be careful, and left, sure whatever Reid and Becky had been up to wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

"Alright, girls, let's go wait in the car, because I am not going back to Reid's room." Betsy took charge, ushering the silent Sarah and the crying Corrie out of the manor to her Escape, muttering about how the world was going to hell in a handbasket.

* * *

"Ty?" Caleb asked before knocking on Tyler's door, entering when he received no answer. Tyler glared at him from inside the room, pulling on holsters and sheaths to ancient weapons over his all-black outfit.

"'Nothing's going to threaten them,' huh? 'He doesn't want them, so let's do nothing.'" He thrust a wicked looking knife into the sheath on his belt forcefully. "He's after them. I saw it."

"I know." Caleb admitted. "I just sent them to the dorms."

"With Reid?" Tyler asked,

"No. You and Reid need to head over there now. I didn't want to worry them so I gave them a head start, but I expect you and Reid to be in charge of them ASAP." Caleb commanded. "I'm going to check on Pogue. Apparently Kate's… pregnant." Caleb winced at the word.

"What? I thought he and Cor were just breaking up… I bet he already left for New York."

"That's what I thought. I called him on the way over here from my room and he didn't answer. I'm going after him." Caleb explained, his cell still in his hand. "Grab Reid and take care of the girls, just in case? It can't be coincidence, the nightmares."

"Yeah, of course we'll head over. I agree." Tyler nodded, reaching for his keys as he stuffed a final knife into his outfit.

"What's with the GI Joe look?" Caleb asked.

"These knives were blessed by the Pope. I sent away for them after last time. I was going to go after Chase myself, but the girls are more important." Tyler admitted without shame.

"No going after Chase solo." Caleb admonished lightly, too tired and stressed to give a proper lecture. "Go. Get Reid."

"On my way. Caleb, be careful. Pogue's going to be messed."

"Yeah. I know."


	39. Chapter 39

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 39:

"Reid, wake up baby." Becky shook Reid gently, pressing a kiss to his lips. He responded, still asleep, and she could feel his body's response to her touch. "Reid, wake up." But Reid was lost to the world.

"_Reid! REID! REID!" Becky's breathless voice echoed through his dorm as their bodies rocked together in a well-rehearsed rhythm. She gasped as his mouth found her throat, his tongue licking the salty sheen from the sensitive skin and biting gently, making her moan. His lips trailed up to her ear, biting softly as her nails dug into his back and shudders of pleasure wracked her body. She smashed his face to hers, biting his lip hard before all muscle tension left her and she sunk back into his bed as he finished, residual spasms of pleasure taking everything bad with the world with them._

_When he was done he collapsed next to her, a tender, satisfied smile on his face._

_When they had first started this arrangement she had been surprised, at first by how quickly he had been able to charm the pants off her (literally) and with how gentle he always was. It was always her screaming and biting and him playing the role of tender love maker, always attending to her every need before worrying about his own. Sometimes she wondered if he was like that with all the other girls he had been with._

_But not tonight. Not now, after that mind-blowing experience. Right now, everything was right with the world. He was with her, pressing kisses to her damp hair, trailing his fingertips across her glistening skin just right, getting her ready for more._

_She didn't know what made her think to do it. All she knew was that something made her want to pleasure him the way he had just pleasured her, putting him before herself for once. Something made her brave. _

_Somehow she managed to make her limp muscles pull her on top of him, sliding down the length of his body, under the blankets, placing kisses down his length. Now it was him moaning in pleasure__.__ As he grew more enthusiastic she grew braver still, taking him into her mouth and trying to remember Oprah's tips._

_Reid was trying his best to maintain control, watching and, more importantly, feeling her move on him below the blankets. She was pushing his already weak self control, and just as he couldn't hold it in a moment longer she was gone. His blankets fell limply on him, alone in his bed as he came with a moan._

"_Beck?" He asked with difficulty. "Not funny. C'mon. Now I have to wash my sheets tonight." He complained, cleaning himself up as best he could. "Beck?"_

_But the dorm room was empty but for himself._

_Reid felt a tendril of dread slither down his back, making him feel cold and clammy._

"_Beck?" He pulled on a pair of boxers, glancing around again. The tendril sank down to his stomach, thickening into bile. Something wasn't right._

_He pulled on his discarded jeans and swung open his door, intent on finding Becky. He jumped back in surprise to see her on the other side of his door, eyes closed as if asleep, a small, relaxed smile gracing her features. He reached out to touch her, to pull her naked body in to the safety of his room. The second his fingertip brushed her skin her eyes snapped open, a shriek escaping her lips. He watched in horror as she sank to the ground, only then realizing that she had been floating at eye level._

"_Beck, baby, it's me!" He reached out to her again, and she shrank away from his hand, eyes gazing unseeingly at him in terror._

"_Stay away from me! I know__ a__bout you! Putnam__!" Reid recoiled as if she had slugged h__im. "Reid!, Oh, God, Reid! The fifth family__ is here!" With that she took off running down the hall, glancing over her shoulder at the real Reid and screaming for some unseen Reid to save her._

"_Beck, wait!" He called, taking off after her._

_He caught up to her in the girls bathroom. She was crouched, her hair tangled, eyes wide, muttering to herself._

"_Baby, it's okay." He murmured, sinking down to his knees in front of her. "It's me. It's Reid." He indulged his instincts and allowed his eyes to blacken, Using to make her see._

_Becky screamed, clutching her eyes and writhing in pain. Reid watched, horrorstruck, as blood began to seep through her fingers. He quickly Used again, trying to make the bleeding stop, to help her. Her cries turned into the keening of an injured animal and she was still. Encouraged, Reid Used again, stronger this time, feeling its drain on himself but not caring, focusing on making her better.__ With one last cry, Becky stoppe__d completely._

"_Baby?" Reid asked, eyes still dark as night. "Beck, baby, talk to me. Are you okay?" He asked tenderly, taking her hand in his. He felt the__ unearthly__ iciness, the stiffness__ that in the real world would not happen for hours, but this was a dream, and already the light had faded from her eyes__. "Oh no. Oh, God no. Not... no. Please no." Her eyes gazed up at him fro__m__ her bloody cheeks, finally clear in death, realizing what Reid had done with his Power. Blaming him._

_He held her still form, rocking her and apologizing and crying, not seeing or hearing the invisible entity floating before them until he spoke._

"_Reid Garwin, condoms and sighs,_

_Kissed the girls and made them cry..."_

Becky pressed another kiss to his lips, caressing his cheek tenderly. "Reeeeid, time to get up. I have to go."

This time Reid sat up with a jolt, knocking his forehead against hers.

"OW! Fuck!" He cursed, anger coursing through him. "What were you doing?"

"Kissing you!" Becky bit back, rubbing what was sure to be an epic lump tomorrow morning.

"Well don't! Get out of here! Get away from me!" He shouted, at the same time checking over her to see that she was alright. No bleeding eyes, no screams of pain, no nudity... it didn't matter. The fact was that he'd just seen her die, and he would do anything – anything – to prevent that from coming true, even pushing her away to keep her safe. If she wasn't with him, she wasn't a target.

"Jeez, it was an accident." Becky muttered defensively.

"I don't fucking care. Get your ugly face away from me, lardass!" Becky blinked at him, sure she was still dreaming. Did he seriously just call her lardass?

"Really? You're seriously throwing me out and insulting me like we're in the third grade?" Becky scoffed, crossing her arms defensively across her chest. "You could have just said 'I want to fuck other people.' But we both know you'd come back to me eventually. Because like it or not, Reid Garwin, you love me, and now everyone knows it." Her words bit into him, cutting right to the heart of what he'd been trying to do.

"I don't love you. I just fuck you 'cause you're easy and there's no way in hell you'll get any action anywhere else. You're pathetic. Reid Garwin doesn't love anyone." Her eyes filled with tears, but whether angry or sad he couldn't tell. Her face was blank as she stepped backwards toward the door. Reid glared at her, hoping it covered the massive amount of guilt he was feeling for lying to her.

"You're right, Reid. Maybe you don't love me, but you're also wrong. You do love someone. You love yourself, more than you could ever love me. So go fuck yourself, because you'll never get to do me again." She slammed the door behind her, leaving Reid feeling lower than whale shit.

That was how Tyler found him a few minutes later, laying in bed, naked, a dumb look on his face.

"Hey man, get up. We've got to go. Chase is on the move and may be coming after the girls. We need to go protect them at the dorms."

"What? The dorms? I thought they were here." Reid shook his head as if coming out of a daze.

"No, Pogue got a call from Kate and she's… uh, she's… she's knocked up, so Pogue went to go see her, and Caleb went after him, and Corrie wanted to go back to the dorms, so she got all the girls together to go back with her so Caleb said for us to go after them and keep them safe." Tyler summarized. "Where's Becky?"

"I told her to fuck off. I had this nightmare, man. Chase is coming after her. I had to get him off her scent."

"So you told her to get lost? Oh, yeah, great fucking plan, Einstein! He's probably got them now, bound and gagged and wearing revealing leather outfits and knee-high boots…" Reid gave his brother a look.

"What? It's a legitimate fear." Reid shook his head, still processing the whole thing.

"Alright, Ty, so what do we do?"

"You and me go to the dorms. We're guarding the girls." Tyler explained slowly, as if to a child. "If Becky just left here, they're probably leaving about now… put on some pants and we're leaving."

* * *

Betsy, Corrie, and Sarah trooped down to Betsy's car in the drive way, bundled up in parkas and scarves, only to find Becky already waiting for them, sans coat, fuming.

"Reid kicked me out. Bastard." She swore fluently, making Betsy wonder just how much of her rants about men Becky had been listening to and taking notes on.

"Well, at least he's not a baby daddy." Betsy shot her a short, bitter glare and unlocked the SUV, allowing their motley crew to pile in. The cold had woken them up, and, besides Becky's bad mouthing Reid, the rest of them were silent, each caught up in their own thoughts. Corrie sat in back with Sarah, curled up and clutching her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks quietly as she tried to hide the implosion of her heart.

Eventually Becky ran out of steam at the unresponsiveness of the other girls and slowed her berating of Reid long enough to ask "Okay guys. What's up?"

Before any of them could answer, two things happened. First, Becky's phone rang, trilling loudly. Secondly Betsy's moon roof exploded in, showering them in a rain of safety glass as Betsy jerked the wheel.

"Ladies!" A male voice greeted them over the sound of metal shrieking and glass falling, and a hand descended into the vehicle, scrabbling around, pulling Becky's hair. She screamed, dropping her phone, which opened as it hit the ground, automatically connecting to Reid. Sarah and Corrie joined in her screaming, all melding together with Betsy's loud flurry of nasty words. Over it all the male voice boomed "Peter, Peter pumpkin eater. Had a wife and couldn't keep her…"

"CHASE!" Sarah screeched, smacking at the hand, trying her best to free Becky. "Let her go!"

"Never!" The boy responded viciously, a grin on his face. He looked older than Sarah remembered him. Where Caleb, Pogue, and Reid (who had turned 18 in January) looked perhaps a year older than their true ages between the three of them, Chase had aged badly in the last few months, already looking around 30.

Becky scrambled for her phone, reaching as far as she dared, Chase still reaching at her head. At the exact moment Reid stopped whatever chatter he had been greeting her with, Chase gave a great tug on her scalp and she dropped the phone with a yelp.

"PUTNAM!" Betsy warned, swerving back and forth on the icy road as she had seen on TV, the phone jostling around near her feet. Unlike in the movies, however, this maneuver did little to dislodge Chase, and did everything to put them directly on a sheet of black ice. The car slid forward, skidding out of control, and dropped off the road sharply, sending Betsy and Becky into the dashboard and steering wheel and Sarah and Corrie into the seats in front of them. Corrie had just enough time before she passed out to look around, seeing the limp girls beside her, Becky with blood running down her face like rain, before unconsciousness overtook her, and she slipped into blackness.

* * *

"You're such a dumbass." Tyler shook his head again, cruising along the icy road carefully, Reid beside him sulking.

"Well it was the first thing I could think of. I had a lot on my mind."

"Riiight. I'm sure."

"What would you do if you saw Betsy die because of you, curled up in the girls' bathroom at our dorm, acting all crazy and shit?" Reid shot back without any of his usual venom. Tyler swallowed hard, phantom chlorine fumes invading his senses, remembering.

"I would tell her that I love her and would hold her tight enough that no matter what nothing could take her away from me." Tyler answered lowly, his eyes trained on the road, his mind whirling between worry for Betsy, concerned curiosity about how Corrie was, and an abundance of emotions about Pogue's impending fatherhood.

They lapsed into silence, both pondering everything that had happened that night and wondering what would happen next.

"I'm going to call her. We should probably check up on them anyways." Reid said abruptly, pulling out his phone. Tyler smirked, his gaze on the road. Who would have ever thought Reid Garwin would be so whipped?

Reid sat with the phone to his ear, listening to it ring before it connected.

"Baby, now don't hang up, I'm sor–" Reid broke off, going as white as the snow around them.

"Reid? What's going on?" Tyler asked sharply, unconsciously pressing on the gas pedal, urging his hulking vehicle onward. In an instant he saw what had struck Reid dumb and slammed on the brakes.

"Holy shit." Tyler had never heard Reid sound so serious, and serious it was. Before them Betsy's Escape's emergency lights winked happily through the darkness, the front of her SUV pointing almost straight down, sinking into the jagged chunks of ice its wreckage had caused on the surface of the lake next to the road. Tyler heard Reid's breath catch in his chest as he caught sight of a distinctly red stain in the snowy ice.

Tyler threw the Hummer into park and joined Reid in the road, eyes trained on the wreck. Nothing moved, the night silent except for the quiet click of the blinking lights. Reid and Tyler shared a look, sharing their dread, before carelessly slipping and sliding their way down to the car, ignoring the cold water.

The car was empty but for a few strands of hair and blood on the dash and backs of the seats. Tyler dipped a finger in the still wet crimson liquid splattered on the steering wheel, for some reason remembering his chemistry teacher on their first day in the lab warning them about glassware.

"_Do you know how long it takes to bleed out? Two to five minutes, maybe less depending on the injury."_

He jumped at the sound of Reid retching in a snowbank, Becky's phone in his hand.

"Chase was here." Reid held up the small phone, showing Tyler the photo on the screen. Chase grinned maniacally up at them, looking older and more dangerous than ever, his arms around the unconscious girls.

"Call Caleb."


	40. Chapter 40

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 39:

Pogue's teeth were chattering, and he was regretting every decision he had made in the last 40 minutes, most notably deciding to make the seven hour drive to New York on a motorcycle at 3:30 in the morning in the middle of February. Sure, it was unseasonably warm, but that still meant it was damn cold on a motorcycle.

He tried to ignore the cold wind biting into his flesh through his leather jacket and jeans as he pushed his bike faster. It was dark and cold, and Pogue had nothing to do but lament his phone and think of the two girls in his life.

Kate was pregnant.

The idea of it blew his mind. Of course he knew how babies were made, and he knew that he and Kate had done some things her stockbroker father would have locked her away in a convent for, but never had he expected to have gotten her pregnant in high school. Later on, when they were married, sure, but now, when she'd broken his heart and left him to be repaired by much more capable hands? It was a nightmare.

They had always been careful, taking every precaution against such a thing happening. If Kate was pregnant, that meant Pogue would have to been the first of the Covenant to have a son, to pass on the power to the next generation. Pogue grimaced at the thought of Kate carrying his only son who would inevitably grow up to have the Power. She would hate it. She might take his son away. She might not want anything to do with the baby.

Pogue's mind swirled with fears, each more horrible than the next. He didn't want his son to grow up without a mother, as he had, and after this mess the only woman he _did_ want to have children with would no doubt have nothing to do with him. Nobody wanted to date a teenage guy with a baby, especially one who you could never have your own kids with? After this whole thing he would never see Corrie's belly swell with their child, would never feel a little foot kicking through her skin, would never get to see her cradle a tiny bundle in her arms and coo, knowing they had created it together. He almost laughed at the irony; who could have foreseen, out of all the "baby daddies" he would be the one to actually earn the title?

Pogue sped forward, toward Kate, new, more immediate fears gripping him. What was Chase doing with her? With the baby? Would he go so far as to hurt his own nephew just for more power? How far was he willing to go?

Pogue growled. There were too many variables here. He couldn't plan.

Plan.

Planned Parenthood.

What if Kate wouldn't keep the baby? Would he be able to have more kids? Would they inherit the power? Would Corrie want anything to do with him after this? What would happen if the baby was a girl? What if Chase had already hurt her?

Pogue felt like his head was going to explode. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not ever. He needed time to think. And his legs were numb. He would just stop for a few minutes, just to gas up, get some coffee in him, and get some blood circulating again. Surely five minutes wouldn't change anything? Besides, he wouldn't be any good against Chase if he couldn't even stand up.

With a plan in mind – even a short-term one, Pogue felt a little better, and managed to find a gas station a mile down the road. As he was taking his first sip of coffee, he winced as bright lights washed over him as a car pulled in. Pogue glared at it. What other idiot would be at a gas station this late? Was it possible someone else was in the same position as him? He scoffed mentally at the thought.

He about dropped his cup as a familiar figure climbed out of the silvery Mustang, jogging up to the store and entering swiftly.

"Damn, it's weird out." Caleb greeted him, glancing out at the eerily greenish sky. "What are you drinking?"

"No idea. Coffee sludge. What are you doing here?" Pogue asked, offering his brother a cup. Caleb took the styrofoam and poured himself his own cup of crappy coffee and leaning against the machine, blowing on the hot liquid to cool it down.

"I heard about Kate. I'm sorry, man." Pogue said nothing. "How far along is she?"

"Months. I don't know. Didn't ask." Pogue replied numbly. Was he really having this conversation with Caleb?

"We'll get through this." Caleb didn't meet his eye, but his tone said enough. Things could be worse. And no matter what happened, they _would_ get through it. Caleb would look out for everything, just like he always did. "Chase may be setting his plan into motion. Reid, Ty and I all dreamed about the girls. He had them. Reid and Ty went after them to make sure they got back to the dorms okay."

"He has Kate." Pogue admitted lowly, still unable to feel his legs yet itching to get back on the Duc. "He cut in when we were on the phone. I have to save her. And the baby." _My son_. Caleb's eyes flashed, but before he could say anything his phone rang, jarring in the quiet shop. The attendant glared at them suspiciously, but let them go under the assumption that they would pay for their javas.

"Caleb, this is bad, real bad. Chase has them. Betsy's car's in the lake and there's blood and he's on her phone and –" Caleb cut Reid off.

"What? Chase has them? But he has Kate… How can he be in two places at once?"

"I don't know, man, but there's blood and it's fresh. There's a picture of Chase on Becky's phone and he's _smiling_. That bastard is taunting us. He has his arms around them and they're, like, fucked up. Caleb, we gotta go after him." Reid sounded near-hysterical.

"Calm down. Pogue and I are coming back now. He probably has them together. It'd be less of a drain that way. Meet at Putnam's barn in ten." He commanded, tossing a few dollars on the counter.

"Cale?" Pogue asked, following him outside to the Mustang.

"We have to go. Leave the Duc here or hide it or something. Chase has the girls." Caleb explained rapidly, sliding into the car. Pogue's eyes glazed black as he swung in the passenger's seat, knowing his Ducati would be in neat pieces in Caleb's trunk.

* * *

Reid and Tyler were already at the barn when Caleb and Pogue pulled up, Tyler exploring the ruins, searching for any clue as to where the girls could be, and Reid leaning against the Hummer, clutching his head in his hands.

"They're not here." Tyler reported immediately, holding up a piece of parchment.

"What the hell?" Pogue asked, snatching it from his hand. The caffeine was making him jumpy, and after everything he did not have time to play games. Caleb read the note quickly, frowning in that special way of his that meant life had just gotten a whole lot worse.

"They're in Babylon? Where's Babylon?" He asked, glancing up at Tyler, who shrugged, holding up a candle.

"This was under it." Pogue snatched it up, pulling a lighter out of his coat pocket, ignoring the other boys' warnings. As it lit, the sky split in a brilliant flash of lightning which hit the ruins of the barn, immediately igniting and surrounding the boys in flames as the sky opened up, a deluge of water falling like a rain of bullets down on them.

"What did you do!" Reid shouted, snatching the note from Caleb. "Are there instructions to this thing? What the hell does this mean?" He wiped rain from his face as he read the paper. "'Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candle stick?' What does that even mean?!"

"Put the candle out!" Tyler shouted, coughing at the smoke from the fire surrounding them. Pogue blew as hard as he could at the flame, yet it never wavered.

"I can't!" He panicked, feeling the heat from the flames growing more intense and suddenly wishing he was back on the Duc with numb, cold legs.

"Put it on the ground and we'll try jumping over it!" Caleb commanded, and Pogue tried to comply, only to find the black candle had stuck itself to his hands, binding them together.

"Get on the ground and we'll jump over you!" Caleb revised, and Pogue complied. Looking like idiots, Caleb, Tyler, and Reid all proceeded to hop (in very manly ways) over Pogue's outstretched hand. In an instant, the golden glow of the candle and the flames of the inferno were winked out, removing the searing heat. Pogue stood as they all breathed a sigh of relief. Pogue opened his hand to let the candle drop from his fingers, but it remained bound to his hand. He shook it, reasoning that maybe it would come free if he moved it around. Instead, he was shocked to feel it light up again, burning him. He shook it again across his chest, and the light winked out.

"Wait, point it this way." Caleb directed, and Pogue complied, being careful not to hold it in such a way that he would be burned. It lit up like a flashlight flicking on. Pogue moved his hand to point toward Tyler's Hummer, and it went out again. "It's a compass." Caleb realized. "Reid, let me see the paper."

Reid silently handed over the paper, watching Pogue wave around his hand in dazed amusement.

"'How many miles to Babylon? Three score and ten. Can I get there by candlelight? Aye, and back again. If your feet are nimble and light, You'll get there by candlelight.'" He read out loud. "We must have to follow it."

"Why would he leave this for us?" Tyler asked.

"He's toying with us." Pogue glared, tightening his hand around the candle, feeling the wax shift in his grip.

"We have no choice. He has the girls." Reid pointed out bluntly, his eyes red from smoke.

"Then let's go. We'll take the Hummer so all of us can fit." Caleb commanded.

"You just don't want the demon candle in your car ruining your upholstery." Tyler shot at him, but unlocked his hulking beast of a vehicle. "Everybody pile in. I'm driving."

They complied, Pogue riding shotgun, the candle burning brightly as they took to the road, headed to their girls and whatever came with them.

* * *

**A/N**

Sorry it's short. We're coming to the end soon, but it's proving to be quite the challenge to write properly. Hope you all are liking it. Thank you for the reviews. Keep them up!


	41. Chapter 41

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant, Boy Scouts, or Rocky.

* * *

"It's going out! IT'S GOING OUT!" Reid snapped from the back seat. "TURN LEFT! LEFT!" Tyler cursed, and made the desired turn. Pogue groaned as the light went out.

"Go back." He advised unnecessarily as Tyler made a U-turn. They had been driving around aimlessly for ten minutes, and they were all on edge.

"If we go straight we'll end up at the school." Caleb pointed out unnecessarily. "Left takes us to Agnes and Don's."

"Try straight." Reid suggested.

"ALRIGHT. I'm going. RELAX." Tyler gritted out, continuing on toward Spenser Academy. The boys lapsed into tense silence.

"No Using, no matter what. Until we have all of us together and Chase in our sights, we don't Use." Reid (of all people) preached.

"If I can help one of the girls by using, I'm gonna do it." Pogue argued.

"Don't. That's what hurt the girls the most in the dreams." Caleb agreed. "Figure some other way to help them, but don't resort to Using, no matter what."

"Everybody know CPR? The Heimlich?" Tyler asked, knowing they did, disjointed memories of their short stint as boy scouts resurfacing. The other boys nodded, lapsing into different memories, memories of their girls.

"We're getting close." Pogue stated a few seconds later.

"How do you know?" Tyler asked, not taking his gaze from the road where the rain still poured down.

"Because it _hurts_." Tyler glanced at his brother, blinking at the brightness of the candle. "It's getting hotter."

"You're the one who lit it, dumbass." Reid pointed out.

"Yeah, I remember that part, thanks." Pogue snapped.

"Stop the car." Caleb's voice cut through their bickering, and Tyler slammed on the brakes, his eyes on the figure in the road outside the dorms. She was recognizable, even through the downpour, still wearing the sweater and skinny jeans from earlier that evening. Pogue swore at the sight of the blood still running down her face, garish against her pale skin. Though she stood upright, it was obvious it was not of her own volition. Her eyes were closed, the headlights reflecting off her glasses.

Reid made a strangled sound that sounded somewhere between a sob and a shout, and tore out of the Hummer immediately, ignoring Pogue's cry as the candle turned into a pillar of flame, scorching the roof of the Hummer and burning his hand.

"Beck!" Reid slogged through the rain, taking Becky in his arms and wiping the blood from her forehead. Her eyes snapped open, milky and sightless. She shrieked and spun away from him, struggling through the rain and slush and into the school, looking over her shoulder and screaming.

"Beck! It's me!" Reid followed, which only made her run faster.

Tyler, Caleb and Pogue followed, catching up to their brother, who stopped abruptly.

"Get her. I-I'll hurt her if I get too close. Go save her." He commanded them, and they complied, following her toward the main building of the school.

"We'll come back for you." Caleb promised, flying into the school with the other two.

"How are we going to do this? Becky could be anywhere." Tyler pointed out but was interrupted by a shriek. Becky flew past them, crying and screaming, blood and raindrops trailing after.

"Stay away from me! Get away!"

"Well, that was easy." Pogue quipped, following her through the cavernous entry to the distinguished school. She flitted away again, moving much quicker than the boys anticipated, and was soon at the other side of the building, heading toward Reid and Tyler's dorm.

"Maybe she's leading us to Chase." Pogue suggested, breathing hard as they struggled to keep up with the slim girl who had once again disappeared from sight by slipping outside into the pouring rain.

"Maybe she went in the woods! I'm going to check that way! I think I saw something!" Pogue shouted to be heard over the rain and veered off to the left. Tyler continued on forward, toward his dorm room, calling Becky's name through the downpour. Caleb, after a split second of indecision, headed to the right, down the only other path, toward the gym and swimming pool.

* * *

"Damn it." Reid muttered, staring down at his cell phone. No calls, no texts. Nothing. What could be going on? How was Beck? He shivered in his wet clothes, under the shelter of the entryway yet still chilled. A fire would be nice.

As soon as the thought entered his head, he could almost smell the burning wood, like the driftwood fires at the Dells where he had first met Chase. He shivered again.

The smell stayed, however, and as he squinted at the trees to the left of the building, he could almost see smoke rising above them. He took off, fear sliding down his spine, almost relieved to be doing _something_.

He raced through the needle-like rain toward the trees, which offered a surprising amount of cover from the storm, avoiding branches as he ran through the forest, his way lit by intermittent flashes of lightning. Something smacked into his face under the guise of darkness, and he went down but shot up immediately, his fists raised like Stalone in Rocky, his gaze flitting around quickly. The shadows of the night taunted him, until one particularly huge lightning bolt hit home, illuminating what he'd run into. Reid's mouth dropped open, and his fists fell limp at his sides in shock. It was something he would never forget, as long as he lived.

* * *

"Becky! Becky!" Tyler shouted as he sloshed through the puddles up to his dorm, suddenly remembering something Reid had said. _"What would you do if you saw Betsy die because of you, curled up in the girls' bathroom at our dorm, acting all crazy and shit?"_

Tyler ripped the door open and took the stairs two at a time, knowing in his gut where he would find Becky.

* * *

Caleb wiped the rain from his face, trying to see through the sheets of icy rain. No luck. He glared out at the campus, searching for any sign of life. Most people went home for the weekends, and those too cool to were doubtless at Aaron Abbott's annual post-swimming bash. The school was deserted. Nothing moved but the rain.

Caleb continued on anyways, knowing that was what he would want Reid to do were it hs brother out looking for Sarah.

He made it through the empty, dark gymnasium without any sound but the squeaking of his shoes and made his way to the natatorium, thinking perhaps Becky was hiding there.

What he saw upon opening the double doors shocked him to the core.

* * *

**A/N**

We're coming up to the end now, kiddies. Stay tuned and please review. Happy New Year!


	42. Chapter 42

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant, Greek mythology, The Sandlot, or Disney.

* * *

CHAPTER 42:

Pogue shot through the trees into the clearing, breathing hard. The glow of the fire warmed his face, yet paradoxically the chill he felt intensified as he looked on. A bonfire glared out at him, almost too hot and bright to look directly at it. Yet when he did, his heart stopped. In the heart if the inferno was the body of a girl, her face turned away from him, and for one sickening moment he was sure it was Corrie. But she spun slowly in the flame, and as he looked on he realized with guilty relief that it was Sarah, her arms and legs bound tightly with invisible bonds, her eyes shut peacefully as she floated just above the flames.

"SARAH!" Pogue screamed, hoping she would move, show some sign she was still alive. She remained motionless as he shed his jacket and beating at the flames with the wet material to no avail. In fact, Pogue swore he saw the flames grow higher, as if feeding on it.

No Using. Find another way.

Abandoning his efforts, he glanced at the pyramid of burning wood before backing up, getting a running start, and running straight into the blaze. His boots sizzled at the heat, and he felt his hand sear with the candle burn, but he smashed into Sarah and was on the ground with her in his arms on the other side of the blaze before any lasting damage could be done.

"Sarah, honey, wake up." He murmured, slapping her cheek softly. She didn't respond. "Come on. We've got to go." Pogue scooped her up, heading back toward the school, feeling the throb of his cooked hand, hoping he hadn't ruined any shot they had of getting Sarah back by his impulsive rescue. At least he managed not to Use. "Caleb will know what to do."

* * *

"Betsy?" Caleb gasped, not believing what he was seeing. Betsy hung limply in the air, her boots barely grazing the diving board as she teetered on the edge. Like Becky, her eyes were closed, her arms close to her body as if bound there by invisible rope.

Caleb took a step toward her. She wobbled precariously. He stepped back and she stabilized. He froze indecisively. She wobbled again, this time with no provocation. He sucked in a breath. She stabilized. He let it out slowly, and just as slowly she tipped forward. Caleb grunted as he took off toward her, vaulting up onto the diving board behind her just as she slipped from its edge and into the water with a splash. With a less than perfect dive he went in after her, opening his eyes to the blurry shapes in the blue water, looping both arms around her as she sank, her unconscious form dead weight in the water, bubbles issuing from her nose. He dragged her up to the surface, struggling, and somehow managed to get her to the side before hauling himself out, and dragging her limp body out by her wrists. He started CPR, pushing down on her chest hard enough to hear a rib crack, to no avail. _Don't Use, don't Use, don't Use…_ Tears came to his eyes as he imagined what she would say if she were watching.

"Come on, Squints. You can do it! Pull through, bud!"  
"Yeah yeah, he looks pretty crappy."

"My God, he looks like a dead fish."

She would be going through the whole Sandlot movie, doing all the voices and giggling in that nervous way she would sometimes get before a race. Caleb let out a sob as he breathed into her unresponsive mouth again, knowing that if anything happened to the girl in his arms Tyler would never recover.

* * *

"Becky? I'm here. Nobody's going to hurt you." Tyler crept cautiously closer to Becky, who had curled into the fetal position in a shower stall, shaking and crying.

"They're here! Watching me! They're up by the ceiling! The goat is watching me." She moaned, rocking.

"There are no goats around, Becky. Just me. Just Tyler."

"No, the goat with the glowing eyes. It's watching me." She hissed. "They're following me. They're casting curses on me!"

"Nobody is following you but me, Becky. I promise." Tyler inched closer to her, extending a hand. "Take my hand. I'll make it all go away." He promised.

"Even the goat?"

"Even the goat. Just take my hand." She looked at it with her milky eyes before reaching tentatively only to snatch her hand back and start screaming again, waving her arms as if too ward away insects.

"THEY'RE AFTER ME!" Tyler shot forward and scooped her up. She immediately clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder. Tyler held her to him with grim satisfaction. It looked like Reid was the only one Chase had bothered to program Becky against, thank God.

"Don't look, Becky. I'll protect you. I'll take you to Reid and we'll take care of you." He promised, wondering how the hell he was going to keep it when the sight of his brother caused nothing but hysteria and panic in the girl in his arms.

"But who will take care of you? The goat's coming for you, now. I was just the bait."

* * *

"Kate." Reid whispered, awestruck. Kate had changed since he'd seen her last. Her long hair was cropped in a short bob and her belly noticeably swollen. She glowed, though probably from more than just her pregnancy. But that wasn't what made his blood run cold.

It was the rope around her slender neck that stopped him in his tracks. He stared at her floating body, wondering what it would take to set the invisible noose off and wishing he had thought to ask Tyler to borrow one of those holy knife things. He'd seen Pirates of the Caribbean – if that pansy Orlando Bloom could do it, how hard could it be to cut a rope with a sword? Maybe he could climb the tree instead and just untie it. He took a step forward and Kate dropped an inch, the rope cutting into her tender skin.

"Aw, fuck." Reid cursed as she fell, the rope snapping tightly. Reid surged forward and caught her, stumbling under her weight as he tried to support her dangling legs, feeling the familiar tingle urging him to indulge in a little black magic.

"Christ, Kate, are you having a baby elephant?" He muttered, trying to think of some way to get her down without Using.

As usual, he came up blank. Admittedly, it was hard to think while trying to hold up a pregnant teenage girl and keep her from hanging to death.

"Kate, wake up, you cow!" He gritted out, hoping the insult would awaken her. No luck. He would call or text one of the other guys, but keeping Kate from dropping like a stone was a two hand job. So he stood there, holding her up as the rain splattered down through the trees.

* * *

"Wake up, Sarah. Caleb's going to kill me if you don't." Pogue tried to convince the unresponsive girl as he ran, heading for Reid and Tyler's room, slipping in muck and slush and almost dropping her. She looked terrible. Black ash marred her elfin face, and her clothes smoked, the edges blackened and charred by fire.

"Caleb! Reid!" Pogue called through the rain, seeing nothing.

"Pogue!" Tyler shot out of the dorm, Becky still clutching to him.

"Ty, have you seen Reid or Cale?" Pogue asked, scanning the two for any injury.

"Nothing! Cay didn't follow me after Becky!" Tyler shouted over the downpour. "Let's check the pool!"

"Right!" Pogue agreed, lugging the unresponsive Sarah along as he, Tyler, and Becky entered the dark gym. It was cold and dry, the rain beating an angry tattoo on the distant ceiling.

"Not in here." Tyler stated, glancing into all the dark corners of the cavernous room.

"Keep going." Pogue suggested, readjusting Sarah in his arms, trying to ignore the ache in his burnt hand. Tyler led the way, crooning soothingly in Becky's ear.

Tyler pushed the double doors open with his back, trying not to jostle Becky, who was looking over his shoulder and caught the first sight of the scene playing out on the pool deck. Her scream echoed throughout the pool, bouncing off the walls and the water like Echo in her cave.

Tyler spun around immediately, nearly dropping Becky at the sight. Caleb knelt over his girlfriend, his mouth on hers, both of them sopping wet.

"CALEB!" Before the word left his mouth he knew something was wrong, though, more wrong than his first impression implied. Caleb jerked away from her, his face awash with tears.

"She won't wake up. Ty, I tried, but she won't wake up." His dark eyes were wet and red and tormented, even more so when upon seeing Sarah in Pogue's arms. "Sarah – ! Is she–?" He broke off.

Tyler felt Becky slip from his arms like sand through a sieve as he sank to his knees, crawling across the wet floor. Betsy looked terrible. Her skin glowed the ethereal blue of the swimming pool, her expression completely blank in a way it never had been in life. _In life_. Tyler shuddered at the thought.

"This is all my fault." He murmured to her still form, pulling it onto his lap. The tears came without his knowledge or intention, but they came swift and salty. "I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there's a life after that, I'll love you then." And he pressed a kiss to her chilly lips, wishing for her to wake up like Sleeping Beauty from her hundred years of sleep.

What he got, however, was Snow White, complete with the vomiting.

"I'm going to throw up." Pogue slapped a hand over his mouth as Betsy retched up water all over Tyler, who couldn't have looked more shocked or grateful.

"Sarah, honey, wake up." Caleb whispered to the blonde behind him on the bleachers, gently slapping her cheek. No change.

"Maybe you have to kiss her." Pogue suggested, turning away from Tyler and Betsy but keeping an eye on Becky, who had sunk to the floor and was staring listlessly into the pool.

Caleb leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sarah's lips. No go.

"It's not working." Caleb growled in frustration, feeling the familiar temptation to Use but knowing it would only hurt her. He kissed her again, feeling the heat still radiating from her skin, despite her stint through the rain with Pogue. Caleb rested his forehead against hers, letting his sobs out.

"Sarah, you have to wake up. You have to marry me." He whispered, too low for Pogue to hear. A tear dripped off his face and onto hers, and finally she stirred, opening her mouth and coughing out thick black smoke from the bonfire. Caleb held her to him, feeling the hacking shake her slender body.

"Caleb? What- where are the girls?" She asked, still only focused on him.

"Betsy and Becky are here." Caleb explained gently. "We don't know where Corry or Kate are."

"We have to find them. We were just the bait." Sarah pled desperately with her eyes. "He just wanted to get you all here."

Caleb was about to respond when Becky's voice cut through everything, sounding more sane than she had since leaving Danvers Manor.

"I can't see."

"What do you mean you can't see?" Pogue asked, squatting next to her. He recoiled as she turned toward him. Her eyes, which had been covered with a milky sheen earlier, were now completely white.

"I can't see. At all. I'm blind." She said matter-of-factly, completely, irrationally calm.

Sarah watched from Caleb's arms, suddenly feeling weird, then feeling nothing at all.

"Caleb, are you still holding me?" She asked, looking down at his arms wrapped around her.

"Yeah. Can't you feel me?" He asked, rubbing her arms as if she was cold.

"No. I can't." Sarah knew she blinked because it got dark for a moment, but she couldn't feel it. She tried to wiggle her toes. Her shoe moved, but she felt nothing.

"Bets, are you okay? Tyler asked from the edge of the pool where he was washing himself and Betsy off with pool water. Four sets of eyes turned to listen as Betsy opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She gabbed at her throat, but not even a rasp or a groan came out. Her throat muscles strained, yet no scream could pass her lips. She turned her terrified eyes to Tyler, burying her face in his chest.

"This is not good. Not good at all." Pogue murmured.

* * *

"Kate, godamnit, I am never going to forgive you for this. Everybody else is off rescuing damsels in distress and getting man points which can then be turned into blow job points and here I am, holding you in a tree. _Nice_." Reid complained, his shoulders aching where Kate's feet were pressing down.

As usual for the past ten minutes, she ignored him.

"Katie, you're a nice girl. If I promise to take you shopping with my own personal credit card, will you wake up and get off me?" She ignored him, though he thought he felt a twitch. Encouraged, he continued. "Shoes, hats, jewelry… you name it, it's yours."

Nearly a mile away, Sarah Wenham was waking up at the exact moment Kate disappeared, leaving Reid rubbing his shoulders and cursing. Her noose hung limply in the tree, swaying back and forth. Still grumbling, Reid took off at a run back toward the school.

* * *

"The goat wants us to follow it." Becky broke through the silence following Betsy's, well, silence, making everyone jump.

"The goat?" Sarah asked, not seeing any goats around.

"The satanic goat with glowing red eyes only Becky can see." Tyler explained, helping his weakened girlfriend to her feet.

"Should we follow it?" Caleb asked, still holding on to Sarah despite her absolute lack of feeling.

"I think the goat is Chase. It'd be a gamble." Tyler advised.

"We still haven't found Corrie." Pogue pointed out, "I'm willing to gamble."

"Then we all go. No getting split up. We should stop and get Reid."

"What if Reid is the goat? She flipped on him earlier…" Caleb proposed.

"Either way, you said to stay together. We'll handle it. I have to find Corrie. And Kate. Come on, Caleb." Pogue wheedled.

"Fine. We'll follow the goat. Lead the way, blind girl." He commanded with a dry flourish. Becky nodded once, fiercely, before promptly walking into the wall next to the exit.

"Sorry. The goat hopped to the left at the last second." Tyler and Caleb shared a look, but allowed Pogue to hold the door open and lead Becky through, keeping a hand on her elbow. Caleb helped Sarah up, following Becky and Pogue. Walking without feeling any sensations was odd, but Caleb managed to keep Sarah from stumbling too much. Tyler didn't even give Betsy the option of walking, instead scooping her up like a princess and carrying her out like she weighed no more than a sack of potatoes, having her text Reid from his phone to let him know what was happening and where to meet them.

Soon enough, they stood outside the provost's office, his door ajar.

"Are we ready for this?" Tyler whispered as they clustered even closer to the sliver of light spilling form the cracked door. Betsy nodded, pressing send on her text to Reid. A sound sprung up as if in response to his question, a puffing noise. They all tensed up (except Sarah), waiting, listening. It was with shock that Reid jogged up to them, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf and holding a stitch in his side.

"Man, am I out of shape for running." He muttered, his eyes locked on Becky, who had become slightly hysterical at his appearance. Pogue slapped a hand over her mouth and gestured for Reid to back away, which he did. "I'll go around. I'm glad she's safe." He back-pedaled, the sound of his heavy breathing receding.

Pogue and Caleb shared a look before glancing at the panicked girl's white eyes. Yeah. She was just fine…

"We have to go in. Kate may be in there. She might not be able to hear or something." Sarah reasoned as Becky calmed down without Reid (and whatever demons Chase made her see whenever he was around). Without pausing to think it through, Pogue straight-armed the door open, satisfied when the heavy oak slammed into the wall behind it. The person behind the provost's desk flinched, stopping his pacing. Betsy would have gasped if she could have.

* * *

**A/N**

The end is near! I am out of school so I will be posting the last couple of chapters in the next couple of weeks. Please feel free to read through the entirety of Found Out before then to refresh yourself on the story... and leave reviews. I apologizee for the delay in updates, but rest assured the end will be posted soon. The more reviews I get the sooner I will post it. If nobody is reading or if nobody cares I will feel no guilt taking my jolly good time, capiche?


	43. Chapter 43

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant, Greek mythology, The Sandlot, or Disney.

* * *

CHAPTER 43:

"_Tormentor?_"

"W-what are you doing here?" John asked, backing into the provost's chair, the massive oak desk between him and the motley group before him.

"US? What are WE doing here?" Pogue asked, anger flowing hot and fast through his veins like lava. He'd been expecting Chase, planning on fighting Chase, nurturing his anger, his adrenaline singing through him, lighting his nerve endings on fire. He was primed for the oncoming battle, and to find John instead was not exactly a disappointment but was far from what he needed right now. What he needed was to hold Corrie in his arms, reassure himself that she was real, and then kill the bastard who took her in the first place, this time for good. "Where's Corrie?"

"What?" John asked, looking honestly perplexed. "Corrie isn't here." Betsy's mouth opened as she jabbered silently at him, her expression enough to get her meaning across.

"She's here. I know she is." Pogue explained with forced, fragile calm. "Chase took all of them."

"No. Not her. He gave me his word. Corrie's fine." John's adam's apple wobbled nervously as his hand clenched in his pocket.

"Then what are you doing here?" Pogue questioned, prowling toward the desk like a panther after his prey, allowing himself to burn off some of his anger.

"I'm just here because Chase told me to be. Corrie's fine." John assured them, crossing his arms across his chest in a way meant to be threatening but what came across as terrified.

"Oh, and you're going to take the word of a psycho who kidnapped all her friends? That sounds smart." Becky shot at him, glaring at a spot on the wall three feet to the left of where John actually stood.

"That was part of our deal. Corrie will be fine." Pogue's arm snapped out before John could even realize he had moved, and in an instant John was pinned to the portrait of his own grandfather, Provost John Tormentor (the First), which hung behind the current provost's desk. John choked against his hand, scrabbling to remove it.

"She better be fine. Do you have any idea how much danger she's in? If you made a deal with him…" Pogue trailed off in disgust, not even knowing to what lengths Chase would go to.

"Relax!" John rasped out, wrenching at Pogue's arm. "He'll protect her!"

"NO HE WON'T!" Pogue's self-control, which up until now he'd sustained superhumanly, snapped. "HE IS GOING TO KILL HER, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? KILL HER!" He shook John, glaring fiercely into his face. He had to make him understand, to see what he had done. "Why would you do this? WHY!"

"Because I love her." John choked out, his face going from red to purple.

"No you DON'T!" Pogue roared, pulling his other arm back, clenching it into a fist. Never had he hated someone so fiercely or wanted to hurt them so badly.

Two pairs of hands on his arm yanked him back a step, so that he released John, who fell to the floor gasping and choking.

"Pogue, we'll find her." Becky assured him softly as Betsy nodded feverently, her whole arms still wrapped around Pogue's to keep his from going after John again.

"She can't be far. Do you have any idea where on campus she could be?" Tyler reasoned, speaking to Pogue rather than the coughing John.

"No, I have no idea where she could be!" Pogue shouted, trying to recollect his fried nerves. She could be hurt. She could be dead. And Kate… the future of his family, his magic could already have been snuffed out before he ever got a chance to meet his daddy. _Harrison would have been a good name. Kate and I would have named him Harrison David, just like she always talked about._ He thought with a pang, which did nothing but fuel his anger.

"Where were these two?" Caleb asked suddenly, eyes focused on Becky, his arm tightly around Sarah.

"Sarah was in the woods. She was burning." Pogue shuddered at the memory. John moaned softly, and Pogue delivered a kick to the other boy's side before Betsy or Becky could protect him.

"Becky was in the dorm… just like Reid dreamed." Tyler added, starting to see what Caleb was getting at. "Just like Betsy was drowning like in mine."

"Exactly. Pogue, where were Corrie and Kate in your vision?" Caleb asked, ignoring the still-sputtering John.

"Kate wasn't in it. Corrie was in the library." The moment the word dropped from his lips he felt the change in the room, like a light breeze. Sarah, Betsy, and Becky disappeared into pillars of black smoke which faded away immediately, letting Pogue's hand drop and leaving Caleb's arm empty.

"Come on, you motherfucker. Get up. You're coming, too." Pogue kicked John in the side again. John whimpered, but climbed unsteadily to his feet, hand once again in his pocket. "He wants us there. All of us."

"Kate'll probably be there, too." Caleb offered uneasily. "You gonna be okay with that?"

"Yeah. I'll have to be. She's carrying my baby. I'm obligated to be." Pogue growled. _Harrison David, Harrison David. My little Harry._

"If it comes down to the two of them, could you chose?" Caleb pried, watching his brother closely.

"Yeah," Pogue answered shortly. "I think I could."

* * *

**A/N**

Apologies for the shortness, but this is as good a place as any to stop. Did you like this little twist? Stay tuned, loyal readers!


	44. Chapter 44

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot & the girls. Everything else is Covenant or Biblical.

* * *

CHAPTER 44:

"Long time, no see, brothers." The voice echoed through the halls eerily, seeming to follow the Sons and John as they journeyed to the library.

"Chase!" Pogue growled, hand planted firmly on the back of John's neck as he pushed him down the hallway.

"Yes, Cain. Abel's baaaack!" He taunted, unseen. "Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fear all things, for evil is with you…"

"Ignore him." Caleb counseled, picking up his pace.

"I am the way, the truth, and the light. There's no ignoring me, little brothers."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Pogue snapped, pushing John roughly.

"What are you TALKING about, you psycho?" John shot back as he stumbled.

"You don't hear that?" Pogue asked.

"Hear WHAT?" John glared at him. "You know, I think this has gone on long enough. I'm done. You can find Chase or Ryan or whatever his name is on your own. Tell Corrie I'll be around and to call me when this is all over."

"Don't even say her name. Keep walking." He pushed him again, and this time John fell, landing hard on his arm, his hand still in his pocket.

"What is your problem, man? She's too good for you! She always will be! She always has been! And obviously you're not treating her well enough, or else she wouldn't be talking to me!" John spat venomously up at him.

"Is that why you're here? To save her and steal her away from me?"

"Well I doubt it'd be hard when you got your ex pregnant." John glared as he struggled to his feet, brushing himself off.

"How do you know that?" Pogue snarled.

"How did you NOT know that? She must have left Ipswich for a reason. Are you a TOTAL moron?" John bit off, repeating the gossip that had floated around the school for weeks after Kate had transferred mid-school year.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Pogue's fist shot out, and John stumbled back, hand to his bleeding mouth.

"Pogue, just IGNORE HIM." Caleb admonished. "Come on. We don't have time for this."

"I bet she wanted it, though. Who wouldn't want to sleep with one of the Sons of Ipswich?" John sneered, spitting blood. "Corrie would never – "

"She did tonight." Pogue smirked cruelly. "I got there first. I won, Tormentor." John recoiled, eyes burning. "She's never loved you."

"Fuck you. You're lying." John glared.

"I'm not. She wanted it, too. Know what she said? 'I want to feel you inside me.'" Pogue drove the knife in deeper, not feeling any remorse. He wanted to hurt John for what he'd said about Kate, about Corrie. For what he had done. He wanted to share his pain, to make someone else feel everything he had swarming at him from the inside.

"You're lying." John refuted, but his resolve wavered slightly.

"Doesn't matter." Caleb gave their captive a shove. "Get moving. We're wasting time."

"Way to lead, dog." Chase mocked.

"Ignore it. Ignore it." Tyler repeated. "The girls need us."

"Fuck you, Simms." John spat.

"No, fuck yourself Tormentor, you fucking pussy. Just because you can't get some doesn't mean nobody can." Reid interjected. "Now keep walking. I have a woman to save and man points to collect."

"What?" Tyler blinked as they kept going.

"Irrelevant. Just keep going."

* * *

"He's going to try to manipulate us into giving him our Powers. That's what he wants. He's addicted." Caleb explained just outside the library.

"Please." John rolled his eyes.

"Under no circumstances do we will him our Powers, got it?" Caleb continued. "They're our only bargaining chips."

"This isn't a game of poker, Caleb." Tyler reminded him.

"He will kill them if we give him what he wants." The absolute clarity in his voice brought Ty to a halt. "No matter what, we keep our Powers. And we rescue them."

"At what cost, though?" Reid's question went unanswered. Who could say?

"Are we ready?" Pogue asked quietly, holding his hand out to Tyler, who, understanding his meaning, handed over one of his wickedly sharp knives.

Without a word, Tyler and Reid fell back. Pogue grunted as he swung his arm around, looping it around John's neck, the blade kissing his bobbing adam's apple.

"Now shut up." He whispered in the boy's ear and, with a nod to Caleb, the Sons of Ipswich entered the library with their hostage, prepared for anything.

* * *

**A/N:**

Keep up the reviews! I love them. You guys rock! I chuckle every time I get a new "I HATE Kate!" or "Kate's not really pregnant... is she?" review. You guys really hate the idea? Well, we'll just have to see what happens there... stay tuned!


	45. Chapter 45

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, the girls, and Harry. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 45:

As prepared as they were for anything, the sight that greeted the boys still shocked them. Sarah, Becky, and Betsy stared out at them from what could only be described as a cage of energy which crackled blue and white like lightning, all three of them huddled together at the center of the upturned bowl-shaped prison, their eyes torn between the boys and the other main attraction of the room.

On the balcony, Chase smirked down at his empire, pleased at the turn out, despite the slight improvising he'd had to make to his plan. None of them had gone where he'd planned for them to, so he had more hostages than he'd anticipated. No matter. They could serve another purpose. He smirked cruelly at what he had done, his eyes lingering on his star achievement.

Below his gaze, Corrie and Kate stood, suspended on invisible platforms, thick rope around their necks, the other end tied to the balcony. Their eyes darted between Pogue, Chase, and each other, both realizing the severity of their situation.

"I just can't believe you're all so stupid! I showed you everything you needed to know to find them, yet you all managed to do exactly what you _weren't_ supposed to. Amazing, your capability for idiocy." Chase laughed mirthlessly. "They should be dead by now, but don't think they're lucky they're not. We'll have plenty of time for you to wish they were already dead later."

"Hello to you, too." Reid quipped, letting his eyes go black. "Tormentor would say hi, but if he did he'd probably end up without a head, so…" He taunted, trying to ignore Chase's threat.

"Go ahead. Save me the trouble of cleaning up THAT loose end." Chase smiled pleasantly, his eyes crinkling into premature crow's feet.

"Let them go, Chase. They have nothing to do with this." Caleb commanded, allowing his eyes to rest on Sarah's sooty face for just a half a second before flicking his gaze back up to Chase.

"Oh, but they have _everything_ to do with this." Chase held a hand up, closing his fingers into a fist. Becky screamed as their prison closed in tighter, the web of lightning tightening until it bit into their skin, searing them and filling the room with the scent of burnt flesh. Worse than the screaming and crackling of the lightning was the terror on their faces, Betsy's silent agony, Sarah's eyes, wide and fearful and knowing yet devoid of any sign she could feel anything.

"Stop!" Reid swore. "Damn it, STOP!"

"All it takes is five little words!" Chase responded viciously, clearly enjoying their pain. The cage closed in tighter.

"Go fuck yourself, you bastard?" Pogue shouted, holding John even closer as the boy squirmed in his arms, tears running down his cheeks. This was way more than he'd signed on for.

"Betsy!" John's scream made Chase chuckle. "You said they wouldn't get hurt! You swore!"

"Whoops. You must not have read the fine print, Johnny boy." Chase frowned dramatically before allowing it to slip away into a cruel grin. "Couldn't help myself."

"Stop." Reid's voice cut through the screaming as he dropped to his knees, his eyes on Becky, their last words echoing through his brain. A tear leaked down his face. "I. Will. You – "

"Reid, damn it, shut UP!" Tyler slapped a hand over Reid's mouth, but Reid's defeat had been enough to distract Chase from the torture at hand, and the cage expanded, allowing the girls reprieve from the burning electricity.

"Let the boy speak, brother!" Chase waved a hand, sending an energy ball that threw Tyler into a bookcase, sending a cascade of books to the floor as dust filled the air.

"Reid, don't say anything." Pogue counseled, sounding calmer than he felt. "Chase, let 'em go."

"Sorry. I have plans for them. Experiments, as it were. Tests of the law that only the firstborn son receives the Power. That sort of thing. And I think these lovely ladies will do just fine. At least one hasn't been corrupted. She'll be my first."

"If you lay a hand on her, I swear to God…" Tyler threatened, climbing painfully to his feet and pulling out a wickedly sharp blade, moving in front of the cage to at least shield the girls from Chase's eyesight if not from his magic.

"Tut tut, little brother. Close that mouth of yours before I have to do it for you, like I did with her. She'll be screaming my name during, though, I assure you."

Tyler screamed in fury, lunging for the stairs up to the second level before bouncing back against an invisible wall, sending his dagger flying straight toward the cage and, more importantly, Becky's heart.

The room stood completely still as the knife soared straight to toward its unseeing, unsuspecting target. With a sizzle, it hit the barrier and melted, sliding easily off the rounded dome of energy with a crackle and some sparks.

"Impressive aim, brother. I guess they just don't bless knives like they used to. Funny, I almost hoped it would have been one of you to have run into it, just to see the sparks fly! But enough chit chat. On to the main event!" Chase rubbed his hands together, ignoring as Reid bounded forward with a shout, leaping over Tyler's prone form and also meeting resistance as he reached the stairs, sending him flying back to land on top of Tyler.

"Pogue. Finally becoming a man." Chase grinned down at them, his hair looking more gray than it had moments before, his wrinkles more pronounced. "And making this little dove into a woman!"

"Let her down, Chase. I'll slit his throat." Pogue threatened, pressing the knife into John's throat.

"I already told you I don't care. Pay attention." Chase snapped sharply, strutting forward and letting his fingers glide through Kate's silky hair, her terrified eyes on him. "You're lovely pregnant, Katie. That new mommy glow." He mocked, his hand dropping to caress her baby bump. "Love the hair, too."

"Don't you touch them." Pogue called up, unconsciously drawing blood with the point of his knife, ignoring his brother as Reid again ran headlong into the barrier again only to be thrown backwards. A streak of pure white erupted in Chase's hair, and sweat ran down his face at the effort Using was taking out of him.

"It's this one I'm really eager to experiment with. I think she'll be a nice lay, don't you?" Chase asked, pressing a kiss to Corrie's throat right above the noose. Reid ran into the barrier again, but Caleb and Tyler had rejoined Pogue, their eyes on Chase, waiting for his next move, adrenaline pulsing through their veins like lava.

"It's up to you, Pogue. You get to make the big decision." Chase's eyes blazed "Who will I keep, and who will go? Corrie? Or Kate and the rugrat?"

The breath left Pogue in one fell swoop. He had known this moment would come, subconsciously or not, but now that it was here he wasn't ready for it. He heard Becky's scream as she heard his options, saw Kate's tears, practically felt Corrie tremble, all in slow motion.

Now that it came down to it, the choice wasn't so easy. His love or his son? Corrie or Kate? His future or the future of the Parry line? The whole room was watching him, waiting for him to doom a woman he loved.

Which girl? His eyes swept between them, hoping for something, some spark that would let him know how to make the right call. Kate's eyes were terrified, her hands clasped in front of her barely swollen belly. She _was_ beautiful, and she had loved him once, more than anything. They had spent years together. He loved her and Harry. He always would.

Then there was Cor, the one he'd thought got away but through some twist of fate he'd managed to get a second chance with. She was beautiful too, and smart, and funny, and everything he'd ever wanted. She was the one for him. Always had been.

"Pick, brother. Your Power, or the woman you love?" Chase offered, strutting seemingly without effort along the loft railing. "PICK!"

How could he pick? It was too soon. He needed more time to think!

His eyes met Corrie's, but unlike Kate's hers were dry. Red from crying, but dry now, in the most dire of times. They were more brown than usual, more intense. He knew in an instant what she meant to do.

She wouldn't let his son grow up without a father because of her. His son deserved to know his father. To be loved.

So she jumped.


	46. Chapter 46

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, the girls, and Harry. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 46:

The room held its breath as Corrie plummeted toward the Sons below. As the rope snapped tight, a different pair of shoes filled the hangman's noose.

* * *

"_You want her to love you like she loves Parry, don't you?" Chase asked understandingly, sitting on his bed, elbows on his knees and hands steepled in front of him._

"_It's all I've ever wanted. SHE'S all I've ever wanted."John admitted. "I love her."_

"_What would you do if I could make her love you the way she loves Parry?"_

"_It's impossible, so why consider it? We're never going to be more than friends, and I should just accept that." John stood and started pacing, resigned to his fate._

"_Here." Chase threw a walnut-sized ball at his roommate. _

"_What's this supposed to be? A snitch?" John asked, catching the golden ball and rolling it in his hands._

"_It's a reversal spell given form. You help me get Corrie and her friends together at one time, then you squeeze this until it bursts, and every feeling she's ever had for Parry will transfer to you. Guaranteed. All you have to do is help me." Chase explained vaguely, unconcerned with what the boy might do with the spell._

"_How does it work?" John asked, examining the ball with renewed vigor._

"_Your soul must be set on the person you want to make the switch with." Chase elaborated. "But you have to earn it. It won't work until after you've helped me." Besides, if it worked properly, it would be child's play to convince Tormentor to will Chase his Power. Because if things went Chase's way, it would be John's power to give._

"_Fine. For her, I'll do anything."_

* * *

"_Pick, brother. Your Power, or the woman you love? PICK!" John knew the moment the words left Chase's mouth what Corrie would do. He had no idea it would come to this… not even in his nightmares. The golden ball was slick with sweat in his palm. He was sweating, coughing, and bleeding, and his tears from earlier dripped down his face. He had never loved her more than in that moment when she stepped off the invisible platform out into space, loving someone else, trusting that it was the right thing to do. That action summed up why he loved her, why he had always loved her. Because she WAS love, even if she didn't know it. She was the sun, the moon, and the very air everyone who loved her breathed. She was The One._

_It wasn't a conscious choice when he cracked open the ball. It didn't need to be. There was no blinding light, no tunnel, no angels. Just the feel of the rope biting into his throat, then nothing. But Corrie was safe in the arms of someone who loved her, and that was the only thing John had ever really wanted._

* * *

"Ah, my poor Judas." Chase frowned, watching what used to be John Tormentor the Third swing limply. "I'd hoped you'd hang around."

Whatever magic had bound Corrie's mouth broke as a shriek poured out of her, her grief a tangible, animalistic thing as she watched her friend's body sway, lifeless. She didn't notice that Pogue had let her slide to the ground and was pulling the rope from the uninjured Kate's neck, nor did she see the tears gushing from her best friend's eyes. All she heard was Chase's laughter, starting as a small chuckle, and growing until it was an all-out maniacal cackle. Caleb and Tyler supported her as she her knees gave out.

"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny…" She heard herself murmur through her tears as if watching as an outsider.

"Shh, Corrie. Shh." Tyler soothed her, but suddenly Corrie didn't want to be soothed. A tiny golden object dropped from the body and rolled until it hit her foot, as if taunting her. Judas's payment from the Romans.

With a sob, she scrambled for the ball, clutching it in her fist. With everything she had in her, she chucked it at Chase.

She knew as she was doing it how useless it was, yet she did it anyways, wanting to make him hurt, to make him suffer as she was, as John had. The ball struck him in the temple and bounced off with an audible _thunk_, falling straight down into the domed prison. Instead or burning off, like the knife had, the ball smacked into the electricity with a crackle that vibrated in her chest.

"OUCH! Bitch." Chase complained, sore that both of his prospects had been stripped from him. Pogue had chosen Kate when she fell, and somehow the other little bitch had managed to squirm her way out of it. Before he could say more, however, the lightning cage was around him. Apparently the little ball's magic wasn't quite done.

"It's over, Chase." Caleb called up, an arm still around Corrie, the other already cultivating an energy ball.

"How is it over? You still can't touch me." Chase smirked tightly, feeling the drain of Using, feeling his tenuous hold on the Power flickering. He couldn't keep this up much longer. It had taken more of him than he had anticipated just to get them this far, and he was no closer to being the master of their Powers. If this was going to turn into a fight – which, considering his only bargaining chips were gone, seemed pretty likely – he was going to have to start conserving his energy, something he had never been good at.

"Wanna bet?" Reid's fist shot out of nowhere, smashing into his sagging face right through the prison.

"How did you get up here?" Chase asked, holding his throbbing jaw, staring in wonder at Reid's uninjured hand. This wasn't the way it was supposed to work. It should just be bloody pulp after passing through the cage. Something was very wrong.

"Multi-tasking's really not your thing, is it?" He responded, shooting another fist out, but this time Chase was ready. He ducked, Reid's fist barely missing him, instead connecting with the tiny metal ball on the top of the cage. The lightning fell for the final time, and Chase was freed. "Your staircase ward fell when Corrie did. She broke your magic, _brother_." Reid sneered. "Our magic isn't infallible, and neither is yours."

"How melodramatic. I suppose Tyler crept up behind me and is about to knock me unconscious?" Chase taunted, shooting a leg out and catching Reid in the knee. The blonde went down hard with an oath to make Betsy's ears burn. Chase was losing control, fast. He was aging too quickly. He needed the Power NOW.

With a grunt, he swung himself over the balcony, sliding gracefully down the rope and onto John's body, leaping at the last second at his target, his as-yet barely-tapped resource.

Kate.

As he smashed into her, Pogue's supportive hold around her shoulders broke and Chase and the girl slid into the bookcase Tyler has hit earlier, sending up another cloud of dust.

"I'll kill her!" Chase was on his feel before the dust had even settled, Kate's delicate neck in the crook of his arm, much like John had been held by Pogue only minutes ago.

"NO!" Pogue screamed, starting toward them. He stopped short as Chase Used to call forth one of Tyler's knives, pressing the blade into Kate's abdomen.

"Pogue!" She cried for him once, then was silent, tears spilling down her cheeks. Her fear at finding out about his powers was nothing compared to this. Tyler and Pogue watched, energy spheres floating like enormous water droplets in both of their hands, ready to react at any moment. Caleb held Corrie up, both sets of eyes on Chase. And finally Becky, Sarah, and Betsy –now free – stood, leaning on each other for support, dark looks on their faces.

"Will me your powers or your son will never be born." Chase threatened with absolute calm, taking control of the situation. "I'll give him 18 good years. That's more than fair considering you all tried to kill me the last time we met." He pressed the knife into her, Using to amplify the tiny heartbeat thumping just below Kate's so they could all hear the power he held over it. As it beat in all their heads like a telltale heart, Chase felt something he had never thought possible. The heartbeat rumbling from Kate matched his own.

"You're the father." A tear fell from Kate's eye as she felt it too, pressed tightly to Chase's chest. "The night you came to me. In the dream. It's your baby."

Chase stumbled back, slicing Kate shallowly, completely overwhelmed. In the corner of his eye, he saw them close in on him, Sarah pulling Kate away, yet still Chase did nothing. His baby. His son.

He didn't feel when all four Sons' energy balls hit him at once. He never even saw them coming. His eyes were on Kate, nestled safely in Sarah's arms.

His son would survive. That was enough for now.

* * *

**A/N**

Two more chapters left, kids. Are we all happy at how things are progressing? Kate IS PREGNANT, but it is NOT Pogue's. Will the Sons let her keep it, knowing it's Chase's baby? Does Chase survive somehow? And will Corrie and Pogue end up together, or just missing the mark again? Stay tuned, and for the love of God review. I was so proud of the last chapter and I got TWO reviews. TWO. I think we can do better than that, especially when Corrie's life hangs in the balance! Let's do better this time, huh?


	47. Chapter 47

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, the girls, and John. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

CHAPTER 47:

Corrie leaned against Betsy, one arm around her and the other around Becky as she watched Chase's body burn. Somehow she had ended up across the fire from Pogue, and though she could feel his gaze on her, she couldn't return it. The body crackled as the flames licked at his wet clothing, sending up bilious black smoke someone was bound to notice eventually.

She and the girls had been charged with the task of building the fire as the boys had taken care of Chase the traditional ways. They weren't taking chances this time. They'd hung him from the rafters, waited until he sank to the bottom of the pool before bringing him to be burned at the stake, and after this they would press his remains with stones to ensure he could never come back.

It scared her how little she felt about all this, after everything. After Johnny.

Her tears flowed freely, and though the boys waited for them, she, Becky, and Betsy couldn't turn away. She felt more than heard Betsy's prayers and belated apologies, but she herself was silent in her grief. John knew. He always had known her better than she knew herself.

"We have to go. Someone called the fire department." Sarah finally joined them, pulling them away gently from the bonfire.

"He deserved a funeral." Betsy glared, her voice hoarse from tears and death and smoke, her lips twitching as she wiped away her tears forcefully with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Corrie's waist, anchoring them together against a bizarre reality. "He was a goddamn Catholic altar boy. He deserved it. He _does _deserve it."

"We'll give him one." Sarah promised, walking slowly beside the three girls.

"He died for me." Corrie's voice, watery as it was, somehow managed to crack. "He really did love me."

Betsy said nothing, but held her best friend tighter as they shared their grief. Becky squeezed Corrie's hand comfortingly from her other side, their fingers locked together, icy in the Ipswich chill.

"What are we going to do?" Corrie asked eventually, lifting her head morosely to look toward where the boys walked a little ahead of them, shooting nervous, apprehensive glances back at the girls, Pogue and Caleb supporting Kate between them. If things were different the girls might have noticed how jumpy they were, how they were discussing in hushed whispers how best to broach the idea of "Hey, honey, I'm a witch!" how Sarah kept shooting them significant glances that clearly said _Tell them or I will. _But the girls were distracted, and they didn't see or hear it.

"I don't know. Get through it, I guess." Betsy half-shrugged, grabbing Sarah's sidetracked hand and pulling her into their little unit as they started the long trek back toward Danvers Manor. Sarah shot the guys' backs one more glance then focused on her friends. If the guys didn't get to it first, she would tell them like she should have long before all this happened. She wouldn't let their secret cost her any more friends. They'd all lost enough already.

"He wouldn't want us to mourn." Corrie scrubbed her wet face against her shoulder, chafing her tear-stained cheeks, oblivious to the fragility of the Covenant of Silence. A little bit of her relished in the pain it caused against her cold cheeks. She deserved it. She deserved it and so much more. She should be dead, not him. Becky squeezed her other hand tightly again, not saying anything but sharing her strength as if by sheer force of will she could take away some of her friend's pain.

"Are you kidding! He'd want us to be pathetic cry babies about it for months!" Betsy joked weakly, garnering a tiny smile that didn't quite reach Corrie's haunted eyes.

"I guess we'll have to compromise. We'll get all our mourning out now. A month of mourning in a few days." Corrie suggested, liking the idea of it as much as she could like anything just now.

"We have a lot to mourn for." Becky murmured softly.

"Kate's back, Cor. That's gonna change some things." Betsy pointed out gently, never one for putting off difficult conversations.

"He chose her." Corrie kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, concentrating on the feel of Betsy's arm around her and Becky's hand clasped in hers.

"No, he chose the baby, which is what any of us would do for our children, him more so. He has to worry about the Parry line." Betsy said fairly, not necessarily agreeing with her own words but trying to be reasonable.

"Cor, you chose for him." Becky added. "You didn't really give him much of a choice."

"I slept with him." Corrie blurted out, wondering if that had been the right choice.

"Yeah, we know. You've got that glow." Betsy didn't even miss a beat. "That, and we heard Pogue bragging about it to John before on their way to rescue us…"

"He was BRAGGING ABOUT IT?" Corrie's emotions did another complete 180. With a huff, she shrugged off Betsy's arm and Becky's hand, storming ahead to where the boys had stopped a little ways ahead of them, Pogue and Caleb talking in low, serious voices. Tyler and Reid stood with Kate between them now, watching their brothers in-between dubious glances at their girls. Sarah, Betsy, and Becky scrambled to catch up, not realizing how far ahead the guys had gotten as they talked.

"You BASTARD." Corrie glared at Pogue, yanking him out of his conversation by the arm so he was facing her, her hands flying to her hips in a scarily accurate Mama D.

"Excuse me?" He asked, eyes flashing, his expression stoic.

"You heard me. I can't believe you would do that. I gave something to you… and you… you SPAT on it! I can't believe you told John about last night!" All eyes turned to Pogue.

"I had to throw him off his game! I had to find you! I did it FOR YOU!" He exclaimed, brow furrowed as he defended his actions.

"No you didn't. You did it so you could shove it in his face that you were the one who got here first. You unbelievable bastard." Her anger grew, fueled by guilt and hurt and grief. She welcomed it.

"That's what you're pissed about? You were kidnapped by an insane witch and tried to hang yourself and you're mad I said something mean?" Pogue scoffed. "What about the fact that we have powers? That doesn't bother you?"

"You moron. We've known about that since freshman year. Have you ever _read_ the Chronicles of Paganism?" Betsy interjected, sneering scornfully from behind Corrie's right shoulder, Becky mimicking her glare from the left. Kate let out a little gasp of surprise, but the boys were silent, absorbing.

"And you never said anything?" The boys all looked perturbed, like they'd just swallowed a bug. Apparently their Covenant of Silence wasn't quite as silent as they'd thought.

"YOU never said anything." Corrie shot back. "You didn't want me to know."

"We wanted to tell you-" Tyler began, regaining some of his composure, but was interrupted.

"Then why didn't you? We were in serious danger back there. I couldn't SPEAK. I DIED, Tyler." Betsy's voice still sounded hoarse from the experience. "And you didn't even think to give us a warning?"

"Tyler wanted to. Pogue, too." Caleb stepped in, his head being slightly cooler than his brothers'. "I stopped them because of the Covenant. We couldn't tell anyone outside the family."

"Sarah's not in the family." Becky pointed out as Corrie just glared at Pogue and Caleb. Sarah held up her left hand, allowing the moonlight to catch the gleam of the ring, set in dark contrast against her sooty skin.

"Caleb asked me as soon as Chase was gone." She explained, lowering the engagement ring as Betsy gaped at her. "I wanted to tell you so bad. They wouldn't let me. It wasn't my place to tell." She was practically begging them to understand, and on some level they did.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to have to be a part of this." Tyler justified gently, taking a step away from the again silent Kate across the makeshift circle that had formed with Pogue and Corrie at a standoff in the middle.

"I am a part of this. I knew the whole time. And I still fell in love with you." She started crying again as she flung herself at him, closing the distance. He caught her in a tight hug, pressing kisses to her forehead. "You saved me. I love you."

"I love you too. So much." Tyler held her tighter as the couple reconnected.

"See? It all turned out okay." Pogue shot at Corrie. Her glare said otherwise.

"John is _dead_, Pogue. And right before he died you broke the poor guy's heart." Corrie shook her head as her voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks again, not believing he could be so callous. With the disbelief her anger faltered, guilt surging up to take its place.

"He made his own choices, Cor. Just like we did." Reid said softly, eying Becky apologetically. She bit her lip indecisively but gave him a small nod. He was forgiven, just like that.

"No, he didn't! Not knowingly, like we did! It isn't fair!" Corrie shouted, now overwhelmed by grief. Betsy pulled gently away from Tyler, watching powerlessly as Corrie's heart broke just a little more.

"Life isn't fair." Caleb's tone was meant to end the discussion, but, not for the first time, he was ignored.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Murderer." Corrie shot at Pogue, crossing her arms and planting her feet firmly on the ground.

"Stop acting like this." Pogue demanded, whisper-yelling as he took a step toward her and leaned in to keep their conversation more private, despite the fact that every pair of eyes was still on them.

"Acting like what? Like my friend is dead? Like my boyfriend isn't still in love with his ex? Like I didn't just have the most traumatic experience of my life? Tell me, Pogue, how SHOULD I act? Because I'm at a loss on how to make you happy." Corrie shot back, her temper flaring up again.

"Just STOP IT! It's not his fault." Betsy broke in, taking two quick steps forward and wrapping an arm around Corrie. "Cor, calm down. Don't say something else you'll regret. You're tired and traumatized and we need to just rest a little before something bad happens here."

"Something bad already happened." Corrie shrugged away from her, eyes on Pogue.

"Cor, we can talk about this after we get some sleep. Come on." Betsy started dragging her backwards, away from the boys' half of the circle and toward where Sarah and Becky stood like guards behind them.

"Where are you going?" Caleb asked, not doing anything to stop them.

"Not with you." Betsy said vaguely. Becky resumed her position at Corrie's left hand, clutching it tightly.

They backed away from the Sons and Kate, who all stood staring at them. Sarah's eyes met Caleb's just before they turned, heading away from Caleb's and the school and out into the woods, knowing that soon they'd run into a road they could follow to the suburbs and where they'd lived normal lives once upon a time. She hoped he would understand that these were her friends, her family now. She couldn't abandon them like Kate had abandoned her. She wouldn't.

Sarah allowed herself that final glance back at Caleb, then her hand linked itself with Betsy's and they were on their path towards home.

"If you leave now, don't bother to come back." Pogue bit out coldly, staring at the backs of the line of four.

"If you even think you're going to pull that shit, you're never going to have another pregnancy scare." Betsy shot back in an even voice without turning or stopping. "So just shut your goddamn mouth."

"Stay out of this!" Pogue glared at her back especially.

"Suck. My. BALLS." She snarled over her shoulder, grabbing Corrie roughly by the elbow and leading them away.

* * *

"There had to have been another way." Corrie muttered, leaning against Bets a few moments later. Once the boys were out of sight – none of them had even tried following either out of respect, fear, or some other emotion Corrie didn't even want to think of – the girls had stopped, allowing themselves a moment to rest.

"If there were, it's too late. What's done is done." Betsy pointed out rather brutally. "John's dead, but you aren't. Kate and the baby aren't. _We_ aren't." She grimaced. Sarah knelt down in front of where Corrie and Betsy had sunk to the ground together, taking Corrie's hand.

"It is absolutely horrifying what happened, but John saved our lives. He saved us so we could live them and love the people close to us, not push them away, Corrie."

"But what he did – !" Corrie began, no longer talking about just John, agonized and burning with guilt.

"Was wrong, no doubt about it. He had a knife to John's throat. He killed a man tonight." Sarah laid it on the line. "And he did it all in the name of being your knight in shining armor. That _means_ something."

"He was worrying about you the whole time, Cor." Becky added, "He only wanted to make sure you were safe. And the baby wasn't his after all."

"But he _went to her_. He climbed out of bed with me and he _went to her_." Corrie agonized further.

"Well, see it from his point of view." Sarah pointed out, "What would you have done if you were in his position? Leave Kate all alone with this burden?"

"No, just…" Corrie trailed off, running a hand through her hair agitatedly. "He – "

"He loves you." Sarah cut her off, looking seriously into her eyes earnestly. "He just wants to be with you and for you to be happy and healthy."

"And he's doing his best." Becky pointed out from where she sat perched on a boulder a few feet away.

"Hey." All four girls stopped talking, stumbling to their feet. Kate stood before them, her chin up, tears dried. She met their stares head on.

"Heeeey." Betsy said, drawing the word out cautiously, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Look, I know you guys probably don't like me after everything, you especially," Her eyes found Corrie's, then moved away to scan the other girls' faces. "but I'm not here to screw your lives up. I'm leaving for New York in the morning. I was only here because I thought… well, I thought this little guy was Pogue's." She lay a hand protectively on her belly, "It's not. We all know it's not. And it's obvious that he loves you. He NEVER looked at me the way he watches you." Tears formed in her eyes at the admission, but she kept going. "I'm sure you think he chose me tonight. It looked like it. But he was just trying to do the right thing by the baby. We talked a little, and he's yours, through and through. I don't want to do anything to screw that up, not that he would go for it."

"Kate…" Sarah reached out, taking her old friend's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"He left me to go to you." Corrie tried to keep the distaste from her voice. She was trying not to blame Kate. She would have had no idea about her and Pogue; she was innocent, which just made it hurt more.

"I begged him. I was terrified about telling my parents and doing the whole mommy thing instead of college, but after tonight… I feel like I'm not afraid anymore. You actually cured me of it." She looked at Corrie with something like respect as she took Becky's spot leaning against the well-placed boulder.

"What?" Corrie asked, unsure and surprised.

"You were willing to kill yourself so I could raise this baby the way he deserves. Who the hell am I to do anything to jeopardize that?" Kate asked, shaking her head at the thought. "Pogue offered to be there for me, and so did the other guys."

"When you say 'be there…?'" Becky asked. Corrie was having trouble making any sounds come out.

"I mean as a friend. They offered to help me raise Harry and make sure he grows up right, knowing about his powers so that when they come he's not corrupted by them." She explained. "I asked Pogue if he'd marry me, make it a little easier." She blurted. "He said no. He said he's in love with someone else and that it wouldn't be fair to any of us. I'm happy for you. I am." She started to cry. Despite her words, she was still scared, and her fear melted the girls' heart some.

"We'll help, too." Betsy offered gruffly. "If you'll let us."

"You'd do that? After everything?" Kate asked as Sarah wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"We would." Corrie finally found her voice. She'd never been able to hold a grudge, and if what Kate was telling her was true – and she was more than sure from Kate's demeanor that it was – then Pogue loved her and Kate needed her, needed all of them. She was still hurt, and things with Pogue would be far from alright for a while while they worked things out, but a little flame of hope sputtered to life in her chest. They _would _work things out. She reached and took Kate's other hand firmly in hers, giving it a squeeze. Betsy and Becky joined them, linking their hands all together, little tears in all their eyes for one reason or another.

They stood in silence a moment, the five Daughters of Ipswich, connected.

Then the moment was over, and they were walking again, hurt and love, absolution and guilt, the present and the future, together for this one brief moment in time.

* * *

**A/N**

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, especially on the last chapter! You guys are the best readers a girl could ask for. I want to send special thanks out to Carpe Diem for always reviewing and sharing her awesome opinions with me, Sixthson for her wonderful review last chapter, and finally Miay for loving my characters and wanting what's best for them... I'm editing the epilogue a little more carefully for you, girl! Hopefully it will work out to your liking.

Lastly, I want to thank Corry for helping me edit the end of Found Out here. We finally made it, Kid. Your birthday present is almost complete... thanks for being there through it all. You and Becks are the best. I don't know where I would be without you two. Thank you both, from the bottom of my heart.


	48. Chapter 48

**Found Out**

Nothing belongs to me except the plot, the girls, and John. Everything else is Covenant.

* * *

EPILOGUE:

"Cor, hurry up already!" Betsy complained, staring at herself in the mirror, struck by the girl staring back at her. Corrie had done a great job dying her hair a dark auburn, making her hazel eyes pop. The girl in the mirror had gained poise and maturity and could do anything she set her mind to, but that same old mischief was still in there somewhere, probably lost in all that cleavage along with a pair of handcuffs she'd borrowed from Becks for later in the evening.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Corrie answered, fastening a delicate silver necklace around her own neck and stepping back from the bathroom mirror to admire the effect. She smiled at her reflection, seeing a strength and maturity that hadn't always been there. The pendant stared out at her, a delicate knot of some precious metals that probably cost more than all four years of her tuition at Spenser. She touched it briefly, reminded of everything it represented. All the fights, the lamps she'd thrown at Pogue's head (the count was up to three at this point), the tears cried, the admissions made, and finally the promise that had started the healing process.

* * *

"_I'm _sorry_, alright? Jesus, how many times do I have to say it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry you had to find out and get dragged into this, I'm sorry Tormentor's dead, I'm sorry you're pissed at me! I'm just fucking sorry about everything! Is that what you want to hear? What will finally make you happy?"_ _ Pogue asked, sick of all the fighting. After the first week of silence, she'd shown up at his door only to leave even more pissed ten minutes later, which he attributed partially to the news that Kate would be moving back to Ipswich to finish her senior year with them. Then another few days of the "go die in a fire" silent treatment, then another fight. Now here she was, after yet a few more days of silence, screaming at him _again_. _

"_I want you to fix it! Go back in time, save him, do SOMETHING! Make me die instead!" As soon as the words left her mouth she clapped her hands over it, eyes wide as she realized what had slipped out. _

"_You want to die? That's what this is about?" He asked, anger morphing into what he would later think of as the final act of a desperate man. "What would I do without you?" He asked, taking a step toward her, then another despite the deer in headlights look in her eyes._

"_The same thing you did before me. Kate. "She said without any real malice. But now that he saw her he saw through her façade._

"_You're just scared, Cor." He said softly._

"_I'm not scared! I'm mad! You killed John!" She said defensively, taking a step back toward the door to his apartment and away from him._

"_No, you think _you _killed him. And you're scared his sacrifice wasn't worth it. And you're mad at me because you want someone to blame."_

"_No, I don't!" She said weakly_

"_Blame me. I can take it. I'd rather you blame me than wish yourself dead. I'd rather be dead than have you ever think that you killed him." He said softly. Corrie wavered, then crumbled._

"_I DID kill him. I should have just left him alone and he'd be safe. It's all my fault." She sobbed like a child, not even bothering to wipe her eyes. She stood right in front of his doorway, the fight completely gone._

"_He knew going in that Chase was dangerous. He made his own choices, just like you made your choice to save the baby." He took a tentative step forward. She didn't move other than to tilt her head up slightly to see him through watering eyes. He took a chance and slipped his arms around her, cradling her head against his shoulder with his hand. She let him, then was holding him, too, in a long, silent hug. He let her cry, rubbing comforting circles on her back as she sputtered and choked on her tears._

"_You've got to let it go, Corrie. It wasn't your fault." He eventually whispered into her hair, and for the first time she believed it. "You have to live and make his sacrifice worth it. I owe him everything. I owe him you." Pogue confessed. "Don't you ever let go of that. Don't you make me live without you just out of guilt. I watched you die that night then I almost had to watch it for real. It almost killed me. John saved us both."_

"_But he's dead. He's gone." Corrie mumbled, her head still buried deeply in his shoulder._

"_That doesn't mean we are." Pogue whispered. "I'm gonna take care of you. I'm going to grow old with you and watch our kids and our grandkids play with Tyler Juniors and, I don't know, grand-juniors. You know Betsy and Ty are going to have like ten kids." He joked gently, "But someday we'll buy a house and get married and have babies of our own, thanks to John." His gratitude tasted slightly acidic, but it was the truth, and he knew it. John had saved him, as surely as the sun rose in the East and the sky was blue._

"_Do you promise?" She asked._

"_All these woes shall serve_

_For sweet discourses in our time to come." He quoted softly. "I'm going to marry you and love you and we're going to build a life together .No more lies ever again. No more secrets. Promise."_

* * *

They had been awkward and hesitant after they'd broken apart, still raw and unsure and feeling both very much like highschoolers and at the same time weary and wise beyond their years. It had taken him some more time to finally apologize for what he'd said to John before his death, but the next day brought the necklace, gold and platinum intertwined, the past and the future. A symbol of a beginning and an end.

Corrie smoothed down her blue tulle ball gown, training her eyes on the necklace one more time, taking a deep, Zen-like breath.

"MY ZIPPER BROKE! MY ZIPPER BROKE!" Becky's cry came from the other side of the door, followed by some swearing in Reid's voice. Betsy shot Corrie shared a knowing look, reaching for the other dress Becky had brought (since she hadn't been able to choose between them until the last moment).

"Senior prom. I didn't think we'd make it." Betsy murmured, smoothing down her own pale green ball gown and blinking hard to clear the tears from her eyes.

"I knew we would." Corrie smiled softly, her Zen moment disturbed but by the best distraction. "I wish John had, too." She gave her best friend a comforting squeeze as Becky burst into the room, preventing Betsy from answering, her crème bridesmaid dress gaping open, eyes panicked.

"DRESS! Now!" She ordered, frantic. Betsy gave Corrie a sympathetic look then rolled her eyes at Becky's antics, but tossed the slinky black back-up gown at her friend.

Senior prom was bittersweet for all of them this year. They'd lost John and Kate was still pregnant, and of course there had been some adjusting to the Covenant for all of them. But they had survived it, conquered it, and there was just enough sweet to comfort them. And, of course, life went on. From the past came the future, always.

"Hey, guys?" Sarah knocked, quietly opening the door and slipping in with a huge smile. Kate followed, their hands linked, glowing in a deep purple gown which had been taken out to accommodate her swollen belly.

"OH MY GOD SARAH." Betsy cooed over her brilliant red dress. "It's gorgeous. I love it! You were right - the tea length looks adorable. And KATE – where have you been hiding this-this- MASTERPIECE? You look absolutely stunning. Being pregnant has made your boobs look PHENOM! Emmett is going to DIE when he sees it." Kate turned red at the mention of her prom date, but smiled shyly at the complements.

"Thanks. So do you!" Sarah blushed too. "Need any help in here? I think the boys are getting antsy."

"Reid isn't." Betsy muttered out of the side of her mouth as Becky pulled on the black dress and Corrie helped her lace up the back. It was amazing to see the change dating Reid had made to her, how it had made her so much more comfortable about herself. For the first time, she saw her own beauty, and that confidence made all the difference.

"I think we're ready." Corrie finally pronounced, brushing off any lingering sadness. Tonight she would enjoy herself, would live her life to the fullest. "Ready for our entrance?" She asked, linking her fingers with Becky and Sarah, the blonde's ring tucked neatly between them.

"Five by five." Betsy answered, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she joined the chain. Then, Corrie leading the way, they stepped out of the room, headed straight on toward the rest of their lives.

_Fin_


End file.
